Ginny's In India Now
by zArkham
Summary: A Harmony song-fic. Ginny has left Harry as she travels to India for Quidditch fame. At a Bones' ball, Hermione catches up with her oldest friend. Hermione finds herself seeing things in Harry she'd never seen before. HP/HG
1. Ginny's In India Now

**Ginny's In India Now – NC-17/MA for Sexual Content & Adult Situations **

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: **_It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion._

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND: **This is a AU take on JKR's writings It is not canonical but is more in line with my other published work. It is also a song-fic based on **Dido**'s song _Mary's In India_.

**CHAPTER ONE - GINNY'S IN INDIA NOW**

_Harry is lonely cuz Ginny's in India now,_

_She said she'd owl but that was three weeks ago,_

_She left all her things well, her books and her letters from him,_

_As the sun rises on Ginny, it sets on him,_

**12 GRIMMAULD PLACE, LONDON – JUNE 14****th**** 2010 – LATE MORNING**

Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. There probably was a part of him which wasn't surprised at what he was seeing but the majority felt numb at what was in front of him. Or more to the point what wasn't in front of him.

With Dobby and Winky away working to clean the Potter House outside of York of almost two decades of neglect and Kreacher having given into old age, Harry was on his own in cleaning Grimmauld Place. He didn't mind since while he wasn't thrilled to be in Black House, it was his and so cleaning it was at least fulfilling unlike chores had been back at Privet Drive.

During tidying up his study Harry had found some of Ginny's papers so he had taken them up to her room. Even though they slept together in the master suite, Ginny had her own room where she kept all her clothes and things. Harry hadn't been in there since Ginny had left for India and that had been three weeks ago.

Standing in the door, with some of her papers in his hand, Harry could only gape at the mostly empty room. Gone were the pictures, the knickknacks and curios Ginny loved so much. Gone were the Quidditch posters and the two rugs Bill had gotten her from Egypt. The closet door was ajar enough to show an empty closet.

What really stopped Harry's heart was seeing what was left. After slowly walking around the room, he found Ginny had left all of his old letters to her as well as many of the books he had given her over the years. In a drawer he found many pictures of them. In all of them Ginny looked distracted and his own magical image looked glum.

Ginny was in India as part of an outreach program to help the Indians work on their new all-witch league. As one of the Holyhead Harpies star players, Ginny had been honored and excited to be chosen to go since it would seriously enhance her profile as an International Quidditch player. When the pair had parted at the International Portkey Portal at Heathrow, Ginny had kissed him and promised to owl.

That was three weeks ago. Now it seemed obvious she might never return. The work in India wasn't supposed to last more than a season or two and while Ginny had gushed over the chance to buy all new clothes and things there was no reason for her to take all her things unless she didn't expect to ever come back.

The parchments slipped out of Harry's hand as he began to aimlessly wander through the empty house lost in thought. What had gone wrong? They hadn't had any sort of blow-out row like Ron and Hermione had which was so titanic it had made the papers. No, on the surface everything had been fine but Harry had be honest and admit things had not been going well for Ginny and him for awhile. For a long time Ginny had been growing increasingly frustrated with Harry.

She couldn't understand why he resisted capitalizing on his defeat of Voldemort, his refusal to accept any of the offers from professional Quidditch teams or take a place among the aurors. Ginny often asked why he was overseeing the Potter and Black fortunes and managing the foundations and charities himself. Is that what goblins were for she'd ask?

Harry found himself looking out a window at the park across the street where some children were playing innocently. Ginny had become increasingly angry as Harry avoided many of the grand parties she was invited to while accepting invitations to 'dull, boring balls' at different ministries. Harry had tried to explain how much business got done during these times but Ginny hadn't listened. When Ginny put on heels and dressed to the nines, she wanted to party not hobnob with the movers and shakers of the world. However the places Ginny like to go seemed based mostly on which had the most paparazzi waiting to take their pictures.

Watching a mother pushing a pram made Harry remember another bone of contention between them. Harry wanted a family and Ginny always bristled at the suggestion. Harry had assured her over and over how he didn't expect her to give up her career and become like her mother but it didn't seem to help. Ginny felt she had plenty of time for kids and marriage. She also didn't like Harry's reason for not moving into Potter Manor after finishing his studies. While Harry liked his ancestral home, it was a bit like Hogwarts to him; an institution and not a home. Harry wanted to make it a home again while Ginny wanted to hold grand balls there like Susan often threw. Ginny had complained he wanted to turn it into a boring place suitable only for children.

Harry stared out the window for a long time and it wasn't till the street lamps came on did Harry realize how long he had been staring out the window. He grimaced as he realized how one of his feet was so asleep he'd almost have to spell it awake.

Harry limped his way slowly to the kitchen for some food. Ginny was in India now. He just had to accept it. Unbidden a slight, sad smile came to his lips when he realized how he could commiserate a lot easier with Hermione now. It had been a bit awkward for quite awhile after she and Ron had broken up. So much so that they both seemed to be avoiding each other. Maybe that would change now. He missed his bushy-hair friend and now they had something in common.

It seemed gingers just weren't in either of their dating cards.

**XxXxX**

_Just dance, just drink and just see the things,_

_I'll probably never get a chance to see_

**DEVONSHIRE MEWS, CAMBRIDGE, AUGUST 8****th**** 2010 – MORNING**

Hermione reached over to a bowl by the window for two knuts and an owl treat to give to the delivery owl as she did every morning. As she often did, the brown-haired witch wondered why the _Daily Prophet_ didn't have some sort of auto-pay set up or at least an old fashioned monthly bill. It irked her how lazy the Wizarding World seemed and yet you had to get up bright and early to pay for your paper which made having a lie in a bit difficult.

This morning she also noticed how eager the owl was to get its treat. This didn't surprise her as they were a special blend Neville made up for his friends and family. She suspected the owls had some sort of pecking order to be the one to deliver her paper; the birds always seemed to be the biggest and cleverest. Many seemed almost in Hedwig's league.

Thinking of the snowy owl, Hermione's thought turned to her oldest friend. A friend she hadn't seen but in passing a few times in the last two years. Harry had been busy with managing the Potter and Black estates as well as the charitable foundations he either sponsored or created. Harry spent his galleons on everything from the creation of the first magical orphanage in Britain to buying new school brooms for Hogwarts and the Saint schools so all players had the same brooms. He had set up scholarship funds and was deep into laying the ground-work to change how school was taught in Magical England which would emphasize more Muggle learning and would allow for students to be able to go to University after getting either their OWLs or NEWTs.

For Hermione, this was a very big deal and she written a lot on the subject since she herself had gone through the long process of having to catch-up on things after graduating Hogwarts before she could finally enter Cambridge. Ron had felt she was mental for going to school for seven years only to turn around and do another ten. If things went as planned, wizards and witches wouldn't have to go through all the intensive studies she had endure. It had tested even her love of books and learning. Harry was hoping no one would ever have to go through it again.

Her face had unconsciously broken into a satisfied smile over these thoughts. Hermione was proud Harry hadn't let his childhood or the consequences of the second Voldemort War ruin him and his life. She was happy he had a beautiful girlfriend and was rich and influential. It pleased her to no end that he had with the wherewithal to make the changes to help change the toxic climate in Magical Britain that allowed someone like Voldemort to rise to power so quickly.

Hermione smoothed out the paper and was treated to the beaming face of one of her oldest friends. Ginny Weasley looked smashing in her designer dinner dress as she waved to her fans. From the caption it said the picture had been taken at a gala charity event to help raise money for the Indian All-Witch League. Hermione quickly read the article. She hadn't heard from Ginny since her last owl about two months ago when she gushed about the opportunity to go to India and help them set up their league. Hermione was sure her Holyhead Harpy fans would miss her but it _**was**_ a great opportunity.

Hermione's contented smiled turned to a frown when she turned the page to continue the story and found another picture of Ginny laughing and drinking with a handsome man she vaguely recognized as a Quidditch player. She thought she had met the man at some party the last time Viktor was in England. The article implied Ginny had been seen out and about with the wizard a lot. It also said she'd been out with a lot of young (and unattached) men since she'd been in India.

Hermione shook her head in annoyance. The writer wasn't Rita Skeeter but the nasty implications were there all the same. While Hermione didn't think Ginny would ever cheat on Harry, she did know they had had some problems of late. Nothing like her epic fight three years ago which ended her relationship with Ron going back to their 7th year at Hogwarts. That and their most recent blow-out when Ron had showed up thinking she'd take him back after Lavender had cheated on him with Seamus and thus ended their marriage. Beyond the sheer gall of it, it had infuriated her how Ron didn't see the irony of it all considering he ended up with Lavender after Hermione had broken off their relationship because Ron had cheated on her with the buxom witch.

Marietta Edgecombe probably recognized the boils which sprouted on Ron's face the next day during the Canon's pre-game interviews which read _cheating cuckolded git_. Hermione chuckled to herself; she didn't think anyone would beat that fight for awhile! She wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't already featured in a _Teen Witch Weekly_ article titled _Don't Let Wizards Do This To You!_ Of course they might feature what she did in retaliation as a possible remedy for a relationship gone sour!

The opening notes from the _Danse Macabre_ came from her cell phone on the counter. Hermione picked it up and flipped it open, "Hi Susan."

"Hey Hermione! Sorry to call so earlier but I know how you're out running around and doing your chores at the crack of dawn so you can enjoy the weekend." Hermione smiled at how like herself, Susan Bones could sound like she'd been up for hours when she (like herself) had probably had been in bed about ten minutes ago.

"No worries, Susan. I just opened up today's _Prophet_. What can I do for you?" Hermione asked.

"I just wanted to call and remind you about my party tonight. Last time we talked you didn't think you were going to be able to make it. Everyone will be here and you really should come if you can." Susan replied.

Hermione shook her head regardless of the fact Susan couldn't see it. "Oh no, the conference I was going to go to got canceled. A good thing too since Su Li warned me it was shaping up to be about as exciting as listening to old Binns talk about the Goblin Wars."

Susan laughed, "When did Binns talk about anything else other than the Goblin Wars? I still think Harry should be more famous for using the Stone to bid Binns on to 'the next great adventure' than for defeating Voldemort."

Hermione let out an amused snort, "I'm sure most Hogwarts grads would agree with you. Anyway, no I'm free tonight. Actually I'm glad you reminded me since I had forgotten that was on for tonight. I'm sort of itching to have some drinks and hit the dance floor. I haven't been out dancing with Sally and Lilith for over a month."

Hermione could almost see the knowing look on Susan's face over the phone, "Finally ready to jump back into the saddle?" the redhead asked.

"Susan, I only ever got onto one horse and we all know what a nag that ride turned into. Yeah, I am finally ready to expand my horizons. I've had my personal exploration time and now I'm up for some manly companionship."

"Well I've got the cream of the manly crop coming tonight. You can have anyone of them except for Anthony although I'm sure he'd say you could have him as well as long as you pay a reasonable rental fee!"

Hermione laughed, "How do you put up with that man of yours?"

"Oh he makes it worth my while, let me tell you! We just need to get you one like him. I tell you all those people who think being single is the best obviously haven't found the right person to be with." Susan said happily.

"Here's hoping I find at least a 'rental' tonight. I'm getting a bit sick of being alone with just me and Athena."

"How is she? Adjusting to the new home? You house is a lot different than Figg's old place." Susan asked.

"Yes she is. I always thought Crookshanks was smart but having a full kneazle is interesting. I miss old Crookshanks dreadfully but Athena is such a dear. However warm and cuddly she is, I do miss having a man to snuggle up against. Although to her credit, Athena doesn't snore unlike a certain troll who will remain nameless!"

"Well we'll also have the cream of the womanly crop here as well. As Luna would say, if you want your legs to be parted, keep your mind and your options open as well!" Susan said mischievously.

"Oh that would put the cat among the pigeons at the _Prophet_! As if my break-up with Ron wasn't tabloid fodder for weeks on end" Hermione laughed. "Actually I think Luna has a boyfriend now. I just got a letter from her the other day and…"

"Whoops! Hey Hermione I've another call coming in. So you'll be here tonight?" Susan interrupted.

"With bells on! See you tonight, Susan! Give Anthony my love. Bye!" Hermione clicked her phone off and smiled. Today was looking up.

**XxXxX**

_Harry's not eating; he's drinking and sleeping in_

_I saw him last night at a party, he's definitely thin_

_He says he's happy, he looked pretty good but I think_

_That as the sun rises on Ginny, it sets on him_

**THE CRYPT, GREENWICH, AUGUST 8****th**** 2010 – EVENING **

"What's so funny?" Susan asked as Hermione came out of the floo with a flash with a funny look on her face...

Hermione brushed some ash offer her blouse, "I just feel odd saying 'The Crypt' when coming here. It's like I'm going to a Goth club or something."

Susan laughed, "Where else do you find bones but in a crypt?"

Hermione joined her friend in laughter, "I know but it just doesn't seem like you."

Susan waggled her finger at her friend as they made their way towards the music, "That's not true; you don't think it is like my aunt. Well I'm Lady Bones now so if I want a quirky name for the new House of Bones well it is my choice." Susan caught Hermione's eye and giggled, "Plus it irritates Anthony's mum to no end."

Hermione snorted, "Well then I'm all for it. I believe that woman is going to become the next Augusta Longbottom!"

"Gah! I hope not! One is bad enough! I should know...come to think of it I **do **know!" A voice from behind the women said. Hermione turned to see Neville smiling at them.

"Hi Neville! Got a kiss for an old school chum?" Hermione as she presented her cheek to him.

"For you Hermione? Always!" Neville said as he gave her a good smooch. "Hmm, I like the perfume. Is it essence of _Olsynium douglasii_?"

Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Merlin! How did you know that? Honestly Neville, do you do anything else but root around and sniff plants?"

Neville laughed, "I'd like to say no but I recognize the smell because Luna sent me some cuttings of that flower last year. I'm betting she sent you that perfume?"

Hermione nodded.

"How is old Looney Lovegood these days?" Susan asked, "Other than seeing some of the reports she's written for the Wizengamot about the Cryptid Project, I hadn't heard much out of her lately. You said over the phone she may have a boyfriend?"

Hermione gestured to where the music was coming from, "Let's grab a seat and get some drinks and I'll tell you about it. I have her letter here in my purse. She seems to be doing well and seems over the break-up with her old girlfriend. She's really into her work on the Project. I think she may end up staying in the Pacific Northwest; she really seems to like it there. Her new potential boyfriend is one of the technomancers working for Intel."

The trio walked into what could only be described as a ballroom which was filled with wizards and witches talking, mingling and some danced to the music a DJ in the corner was playing.

Hermione squinted, "Is that Dennis Creevey?"

Susan nodded, "Yup. Where Colin is into photography, Dennis seems to be carving quite the niche in music."

"Plus he hasn't gotten famous enough to let it get to his head so he's affordable for parties!" Anthony said as he came up behind Susan and gave her a hug. Susan reached back and ran her hand through his hair.

"Always pinching knuts, aren't we dear husband?" Susan said lightly.

"I'm Jewish dear; I have stereotypes to live up to!" Anthony said with a grin. "Hey Neville, if you don't mind abandoning these two lovelies, I have some people I really think you need to talk too. Justin feels he's found some potential backers for your next plant safari as Harry would say."

Neville's eyes lit up, "Really? Lead the way then!"

Hermione snagged a glass of wine from one of the Bones elves which held a plate of them deftly as she made her way happily through the throng of people. She noticed from their livery how there were a lot of elves from different Houses doing this or that around the room. While Hermione had never given up on working to stop House Elf abuse, she had long ago conceded how happy working made the elves. A big party like this would be like heaven to an elf so Hermione wasn't surprised elves from other Houses had showed up to help.

Hermione enjoyed the excellent vintage as she watched Susan speak briefly with Megan who had a question about whether some of the food had nuts in them. Apparently her Muggle boyfriend had a rather nasty allergy to them which hadn't responded to magical remedies yet. Hermione smiled to herself and wonder what the poor man must think of the spectacle around him.

While she waited, Hermione was content to sip her wine and watch the crowd. This was her first big party since her recent episode with Ron. Seeing him again sort of soured her on going out again. After her initial break-up, Hermione had concentrated on her studies. She'd been out on smaller outings with some of her University friends as well as a girl's night out dancing with her witch friends. Usually this meant Sally Black and Lilith Moon since they were both still single. This, however, was the first time she really felt like she was open up to the possibility of letting a new man enter her life.

After the final explosive blow-out with Ron, Hermione had felt she had needed some time to just be by herself for awhile. She had needed to take the time to find out who Hermione Granger was. Ever since she was eleven she'd either been part of the 'Golden Trio' or had been with Ron. So she'd done a bit of soul-searching so she could more at ease with herself before trying to be in a relationship again. She felt good about herself so now it was time to tread onto new ground. So Hermione looked through the crowd to see if any wizard (or maybe even a witch?) caught her eye.

As she let her eyes wander the room, she noticed a thin man dressed all in black and silver with short black hair cut in an almost military style. He was facing away from her in front of the large bay windows which gave one a grand view of the torch lit grounds. What caught her attention was how in a room filled with activity there was a stillness surrounding the wizard. It was like he was a statue which everyone walked around but barely saw. There was something familiar about him but she couldn't quite place who he was. Whoever the man was, he had a smashingly tight arse!

"See anyone you like?" Susan asked with a smile in her voice as she came up behind her.

"Who is the tall, drink-of-water by the window? He looks familiar but I can't place him."

Susan's smirked but Hermione could see a troubled glint in her eyes, "I'm surprised at you, Hermione! I would have thought you'd know that arse anywhere. It sat next to you in class enough back in Hogwarts. I would have thought you might even have gotten sneak peak of that bum bare during all those months in that tent."

Hermione gasped as she turned back to stare. "That's Harry? What happened to his hair?"

Susan shrugged. "I don't know. I was shocked as you when he showed up looking like that. Frankly I am surprised he's here. Of course he was invited but…"

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Why? What's wrong?" Hermione looked back at her friend. "He does look awfully thin. Has he been sick?"

Susan motioned to a set of cushy chairs away from the throng. After they pair had sat, Susan leaned in so she didn't have to shout over the music. "No, I'm sure he's physically fine. It's just….well I think Ginny broke up with Harry. He won't say what happened but I've noticed he doesn't talk about her except in general terms."

"No!" Hermione gasped. Her mind instantly went back to the article she had read just that morning.

Susan nodded her head sadly, "I know but it does fit the facts of what I've been seeing for awhile. Harry barely eats at any of the functions I've seen him at over the last two months. Worse, I've heard how he's been out drinking late into the night. It is rare for him to show up for a meeting or function which isn't scheduled till after lunch. While he doesn't show up hung-over or anything, Harry just seems like he doesn't care much anymore. Sort of feels like he's just going through the motions. I've subtly tried to find out what is going on but..."

"...but you ran into a wall. That is Harry for you. He's been my friend since First Year but there are days I feel I don't know him at all." Hermione cut in. "Not that it is any of my business but why didn't you send me an owl? I'm really not that busy right now and I think I could have helped."

Susan shrugged. "Well I did think about it. I just felt with both of you having Weasley problems that it might cause more problems then you might be able to cure. Plus no matter how I felt it was necessary, I thought if you showed up, Harry would feel you were there to nag him to shape up. You know how he always immediately thinks a helping hand is a condemnation on his behavior."

Hermione nodded sadly. The affect of the abuse Harry had suffered growing up wasn't something even the defeat of Voldemort was going to shake any time soon. She shook her head as if to clear it and finished her wine. "Well regardless of what is or isn't wrong, I haven't seen him since I graduated. We always seem to be missing each other of late. He's still up on his businesses and charities though, right?"

Susan nodded, "Oh he's still on top of things. I'm just worried this drinking and sleeping in is going to cause problems pretty quickly. So far people haven't said much because he_** is**_ Harry Potter after all. I'm just worried if he keeps this up the likes of Rita Skeeter are going to get involved and that will make things worse. It is bad enough what's been in the papers already about Ginny."

Hermione nodded, "Yes I caught that when I read the _Prophet _this morning." Hermione bit her lip, "So how sure are you that Ginny dumped Harry? I know they've been having some differences but I can't see her just ditching Harry. She spent her whole life waiting and working to be with him. I know they've had some differences but still…"

Susan scowled, "You of all people should know how the two youngest Weasleys are rarely content with what they have and seem to go out of their way to muck things up. Hell, maybe it's a Weasley trait. Did you hear Bill Weasley divorced Fleur?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read about it. I mean I was never much into girl-sex but I wouldn't have kicked Fleur out of bed for eating crackers so to speak. Still wouldn't for that matter."

Susan giggled, "I know what you mean. Well I talked to her father when I was over in Paris on business for the Ministry and apparently Bill seemed to expect Fleur to give up her broom racing career and start cranking out more ginger-haired kids like his mother. Fleur wasn't about to give up her life by putting on an apron and baking biscuits while having baby after baby."

Hermione snorted, "Like that was ever going to happen! I may have gotten off on the wrong foot with her but I came to really respect Fleur. Her turning into another Molly Weasley would have been an incredible waste of talent. Funny, with Bill being a curse-breaker and being as well traveled as he is, I would have expected him to be a lot more liberal than his parents."

Susan nodded. "You won't get any arguments out of me! Well I think we had the opposite thing going on with Harry and Ginny. I've noticed for quite some time how Ginny seemed to resent Harry not playing the dashing, rich playboy she wanted him to be. I think she finally realized her fame was making it possible to get her playboy fix elsewhere."

Hermione shook her head. "I hope you're wrong. Ginny and I go way back. I hate to think she'd do this to Harry of all people."

Susan shrugged, "Funny how fast the _Boy-Who-Conquered_ became yesterday's news. He's not headline material much these days. Ginny likes her face in the _Prophet_."

Hermione bit her lip. Ginny did enjoy the limelight. Come to think of it, she enjoyed it inversely to the amount Harry hated it. The only time Hermione had seen Harry happy to be in front of cameras and reporters was when he was doing something for his foundations or charities. If it wasn't for those outings, one could almost be excused from thinking Harry had left the UK.

Hermione looked back at Harry before asking, "Beyond the drinking and sleeping in, is there anything else you've noticed?"

Susan frown, "Whatever happened between them has really hurt Harry. It's like he's died inside. The more Ginny is in the papers the more it seems Harry withdraws into himself. It is like as her sun rises, his is setting…"

Hermione faced hardened in determination, "…leaving Harry to fall into darkness. Well I'm not going to let that happen. I didn't let him fall into despair over Voldemort and I'm not going to give up on him now. I think I'll go say hi. At the very least maybe I can wheedle some info out of him if I can't get him to actually open up and talk." Hermione said. She knew how much having a family meant to Harry. It didn't take the 'brightest witch of our year' to see how losing the potential to create such a family was going really hurt him inside.

"Good luck. If there is anyone other than Luna who can do it, it's you!" Susan said earnestly. "One thing, though, before you go. Don't be shocked how he looks. He's still quite the dish but he's got this...haunted look to him. That and he really has lost a lot of weight. I've noticed he really doesn't like people asking about it." Susan said earnestly.

"Gotcha. Mums the word. I think some of that comes from all the times Molly Weasley would fuss over him. She'd rise off her death-bed to cook a 14 course meal for Harry back when we were at Hogwarts. She never thought he ate enough so she was always trying to feed him. While he'd never admit it, I know Harry wasn't comfortable with her brand of intense mothering. I won't make that mistake." Hermione said confidently.

Susan reached out and patted Hermione's hand, "Good luck. If there is one person who deserves some happiness, it's Harry."

Hermione stood, "I agree and I'm not going to let the another Weasleys train wreck spoil our lives. Harry deserves better."

**OoOoO**

"Wishing Grimmauld Place had room for grounds like these?" Hermione asked.

Harry gave a bit of a start at the sound of her voice but turned with a smile. Forewarned by Susan, Hermione didn't let the gasp which welled up out of her escape. She really hadn't seen much of her friend over the last two years and the sepia photos in the _Prophet_ really didn't do a person justice. The first thing Hermione noticed was how gaunt he looked. Harry had always been on the wiry side but now he seemed to have returned to the emaciated state he had when he forced to spend the summer being starved at the Dursleys.

The second thing she noticed was Harry, for all the thinness and dark circles under his eyes, was indeed 'the dish' Susan had said him to be. His new hair-cut helped accentuate his sharp, chiseled features and he wasn't wearing glasses which really allowed the full power of his brilliant green eyes to be felt. Hermione felt her stomach clench as she gazed into those verdant depths.

"Hello Hermione," Harry said softly. "It's been awhile hasn't it?"

Hermione hugged him briefly. "Too long I think!" she breathed into his ear. She was happy Harry didn't stiffen up like she had expected him too. While he didn't put much into his return hug, it was more than she expected.

She reached up and ran a finger down his cheek. "I like the look. Contacts?"

Harry shook his head, "Lasik surgery. One of the MP's I am on a committee with has a daughter who is an optical surgery tech. She did a brilliant job don't you think?"

Hermione's eyebrows shot up as she nodded, "MP? Harry, I didn't know you had any dealings with Parliament."

Harry shrugged, "I _**am**_ the Earl of Yorkshire and so I have a vote in the House of Lords. There has been a lot more legislation which affects both worlds. With so many cameras, satellites and what not out there; the Statute of Secrecy is being reevaluated. Things have really gotten hard to hide with the increase in security world-wide after 9-11. We have had to honestly ask ourselves how long we can continue to hide."

Hermione nodded, "I know. Even when I was at Cambridge, I had been asked to write some papers on that subject ...which I'm sure you already aware of."

Harry smiled thinly, "You'll be happy to know they were all well received even from those who'd still probably call you a mudblood to your face."

Hermione shrugged as if to show how much she cared for the opinions of such people. Harry seemed to be distracted by the crowd behind her as Dennis was exhorting the crowd to hit the dance floor to enjoy his krazy phat beats. Hermione smiled inwardly; she could almost hear the spelling in his voice. Who would have guessed little Dennis Creevey would end up a DJ?

Harry gestured towards the gyrating crowd, "Care to dance?"

Hermione was surprised by this. Harry had never been much of a party animal. She was worried he was trying to not get to comfortable and end up talking about subjects he didn't want to discuss. She wasn't going to have any of that.

"I'd love to Harry but first I just want to ask you something right up front. Is Susan right about Ginny break up with you? I'm not trying to pry but before I get down to some dancing and drinks I'd rather not say the wrong thing and brass off my best friend and ruin what could be a wonderful night."

Harry frowned and looked away.

Hermione put her hand on his shoulder, "Come on Harry, this is me you're talking to. If anything you know I've had my own Weasley issues. Just give me a simple yes or no and then we can get a drink and do some dancing and nothing more needs to be said."

Harry turned back to her with a ghost of his lop-sided grin, "When have you ever be satisfied with just a simple yes or no answer?"

Hermione gave his cheek a tap in a mock slap, "You are a prat, Harry Potter!" However while her mouth smiled, her eyes were serious as she held Harry's gaze.

Harry held the look before sighing, "Okay, Hermione, for you I'll give in. Merlin, the Imperious Curse is easier to cast off! To answer your question, yes I think Ginny dumped me."

Hermione cocked her head to one side not realizing she was imitating their friend Luna when the lithe blonde was confused about something. "You think?"

Harry shrugged, "About three weeks after Ginny left for India I found some of her papers and brought them to her room. I hadn't been in there since she left and I found all her things gone. All she left were all of our letters and a lot of the books and things I had given her over the years. She didn't leave a note but what else am I suppose to believe? I think it is pretty obvious she's not coming back."

Hermione's eye's narrowed, "She didn't even have the courage to leave a note? That little..." She raised her hand as if to say 'hold it!' and stopped herself before could go into full rant mode. "Never mind, Harry. Thank you; that was more than the yes or no I asked for so how about we forget our ginger related issues for a bit?"

Harry seemed shocked she'd restrained herself but soon his face broke into a wide, happy smile. He reached down and gracefully took Hermione's hand, "My Lady, nothing would please me more! Would you honor me with a dance?"

Hermione smiled back as the look on Harry's face made her heart do a flip-flop, "My Lord, it would be my pleasure!"

**XxXxX**

**A/N**: Blame Dido's song coming on twice on my iPod due to changing mixes while I was out running a lot of errands. Also, as I hope you can tell, I did alter the lyrics a bit to fit the fic. This is going to be a quick-fic. Next chapter will finish it. Then I PROMISE I will finish chapter 18 of _HP and the Rejected Path_. Really!

**Fleur's broom racing career**: From **JBern**'s seminal fic _The __Lies I've Lived_. Too good not to steal! If you haven't read it, rush out now in a reading frenzy!

**Saint Schools**: Lots of different fics have the regional 'saint' schools where one can get their OWLs but not NEWTs. See my author's notes for Chapter 11 of _HP and R__ejected Path_ for a break down of their names and where they are if you are interested.

**Earl of Yorkshire**: Just like in _HP and the __Rejected Path_, Harry inherited this earldom from the Potter line. It is the magical equivalent of the Earl of Northumbria.

**Danse Macabre**: If you have to be told why Hermione uses this tune for an identifying ring tone for Susan…well you need to take a music appreciation class!

**Sally Who?** As in most of my fics, Sally-Anne great-grandfather was actually Marius Black, tossed out for being a Squib. Sally just decided to go with just Sally after moving away. Unlike in _HP and the Rejected Path_, her parents are decent types. It's just her mother instead on the name and Sally went with what she wanted to be called after moving out. She changed her name to Black since she could become Lady Black if she so chose and her bastard son Jacob by Zacharias Smith is (at the time of this fic) Harry's official heir to House Black. (More about that in the next chapter)

**Bad American Pun**: Never thought about the semi-pun of having Susan marry Anthony, especially since her last name is Bones. (Susan B. /Anthony)


	2. And We Danced And We Drank

**Ginny's In India Now– NC-17/MA for Sexual Content & Adult Situations **

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: **_It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion._

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND: **This is a AU take on JKR's writings It is not canonical but is more in line with my other published work. It is also a song-fic based on Dido's _Mary's In India_.

**XxXxX**

**CHAPTER SPECIFIC NOTE**: This fic assumes the rather common fan-fic plot point that the fire powers of the Veela caused a problem with the Headmaster's stasis spell and thus Harry saved Gabrielle from real danger unlike in canon. It also assumes the infamous "_Tent Dance_" from **HP: TDH-P1** happened. The Isis Foundation is from my other fic, _Harry Potter and the Rejected Path_.

**CHAPTER TWO – AND WE DANCED AND WE DRANK**

_And we danced and we drank and I got to see the things_

_I never got a chance to ever see_

**THE CRYPT, GREENWICH, AUGUST 8****th**** 2010 – LATE EVENING **

"Whew! Dennis really puts you through the paces!" Hermione said as she tried to catch her breath. She all but collapsed onto a couch. "Here I thought the clubs Sally, Lilith and I go to were upbeat!"

Harry just smiled as he sat down gracefully next to her. Hermione saw how he didn't even seem winded. Watching him get settled, she noticed how Harry seemed to glide like he was on a broom. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed this before! It was in his walk, it was in his gestures and it had been obvious as they had been dancing throughout the night. Harry was fluidity in motion. Watching him reach out to collect his drink from the table showed the easy grace and economy of motion even in the simple task of reaching for a glass.

Hermione watched as Harry took a sip from his drink. While Susan had said Harry had been on quite a number of benders, he didn't seem to be inclined over-indulge tonight which she was grateful for. She was having one of the best nights in a long, long time. Even better was how everyone was leaving them alone. Except for laughing comments to people as they danced by and the occasional cut in (mostly from Neville and Katie Bell) for the most part Hermione had Harry all to herself.

Even more surprising was Harry even slow danced with her when Dennis would vary the music to give people a chance to catch their breath. It had felt nice to sway gently in Harry's arms. He may have lost weight but Hermione could tell he kept himself in shape as she could feel his muscles through his form-fitting shirt. This had surprised her and sort of thrilled Hermione. It was like she had discovered a secret no one else knew of.

It had was odd how they had been friends for almost two decades and yet beyond the many hugs the only other time she'd ever been in his arms was when they had danced back in the tent when Harry had tried to cheer her up after Ron had abandoned them. Hermione frowned at that thought. Best not to dwell too much on memories such as those.

"You're face will freeze like that if you aren't careful, Hermione," Harry chided gently.

Hermione gave a bit of a start and then laughed nervously, "Sorry! Just some bad memories creeping up. They catch up with me from time to time." Hermione frowned again and laid a gentle hand on Harry's, "Although I'm sure you know all about that."

Harry shrugged, "Until recently it hasn't been as bad as one might think. With the Dark Wanker safely dead and that bit of him out of my head…well now I usually just have 'normal' nightmares."

Hermione raised an eye-brow, "Normal nightmares?"

Harry face fell into his signature lop-sided grin, "You know, you're back in Hogwarts and you suddenly aren't sure what your next class is or even where it is. I've had a few where I'm speaking in front of Parliament and realize I'm naked…you now 'normal' nightmares."

Hermione giggled, "Well I have plenty of anxiety dreams like that when I was at Cambridge but I think the worst was one I had a few times back at Hogwarts where Ron couldn't stop eating and he'd finish all the food and start on you and Neville. Sometimes I can't look at Neville without hearing the dream Ron saying 'Herbology flavored! My favorite!'"

The pair shared a laugh at that mental image. Harry took another sip of drink and looked at his watch. "Got a hot date?" Hermione snarked.

Harry snorted, "Well I'm sure Susan has already spilled the beans on me. For the last month or so this would quite early in the evening for me. Normally by the time I get to this phase of a party it's long past midnight. Of course I've usually had a lot more to drink so maybe that is what is throwing my sense of time off."

"Honestly Harry, you really need to take better care of yourself!" Hermione instantly regretted those words. Being around Harry brought back old memories along with old habits.

Luckily Harry seemed to think so too. "Yes Mummy Weasley!" He deadpanned.

Hermione reached out and tenderly took Harry's hand in her own, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to nag. You do know you have a lot of people who care about you? I know you're hurting right now but none of us want you to hurt yourself over this. Susan warned me not to saying anything but Harry; you look like you've been back at the Dursleys!"

Harry flinched at the name and looked away. Hermione was reassured that he didn't pull away. So she just gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Harry seemed to watch the gyrating dancers for awhile before he sighed and turned back to her. "I know, Hermione; I guess I'm not being very Gryffindor like about all this. It's not like I'm the only bloke who's been dumped before. I guess what hurts is when I went into her room that day there was a lot of me which wasn't surprised at all. It was like I knew I was living a sham life but was willing to keep quiet about it to squeeze out just another day."

Hermione squeezed his hand again, "Harry, you of all people deserve happiness. You've had so many terrible things happen to you. I understand why you feel the need to beat yourself up but honestly Harry, do you think people like Susan, Neville, Luna or I will think less of you for hoping things would work themselves out?"

Harry gave a weak smile, "No…I guess not. No matter how bad things have been in my life I can always say I came out of things with some of the most amazing friends a bloke could ask for."

Hermione waggled a finger of her free hand at him, "And don't you forget it! Let us help Harry; Merlin knows I've had my Weasley issues. If anything you can always talk to me. I know how uncomfortable it can be with most of our friends married or in committed relationships. You feel the odd one out. Yet staying home alone just makes it worse and from the looks of it hitting the pubs all night isn't working out too well for you."

Harry shook his head, "No, no it's not." Harry gave Hermione's hand a squeeze before pulling away and resting his chin on his hands. "Plus I can't even say I don't have other offers. I do have some standing ones which might actually be interesting even if nothing comes of it. I don't know; I guess I'm still a bit worried about people after me only for my fame and fortune."

Hermione felt her stomach do an odd flip-flop, "Standing offers?"

Harry leaned back against the seat and looked at the ceiling without really seeing it. "Oh yeah, I've got a few witches who've pretty much have told me their bed is always open. Most of them I wouldn't considered unless the sleeping with them would save the planet or something. I mean Romilda turn out to be quite the little number but no, no and hell no."

Hermione stifled a giggle at that. "So who are the potentials if I can ask?"

"Well two of them really aren't potential relationships but more of a business deal. I'm sure you remember all those stories after the war about what is expected of me being the head of two Houses, three if you count House Black."

Hermione nodded, "Yes but I thought they changed some of the rules about all that?"

Harry threw up his hands, "Yes and no. The big change was about consorts. Instead of having a 'lesser' consort marriage, now you can just have sort of a contract birth. Witches can still elect to become a consort but it isn't necessary to continue the line."

Hermione looked confused, "I'm a bit lost. I never did pay attention to much of all that especially since they never bothered to teach us Muggleborns about it."

Harry nodded, "I know. I had to get my culture stuff mostly from Neville and Sirius before he died. Pretty much the change means I could have a lineage contract with someone like say Luna if she decided to stick with a witch for the rest of her life. Instead of having to become my consort, we can draw up the contract, we have sex, she has the child and boom, House Lovegood has an uncontested heir. It also works if say Susan had ended up marrying Neville. While they could always elect to have a second son take on House Bones, with so many Purebloods having trouble with having more than one kid let alone a son, she could take on a lineage contract with me and that child would be the incontestable Bones heir."

Hermione nodded, "Okay that makes sense especially considering how the second son doesn't always want the title. I mean look how Charlie Weasley skipped out to Romania to get away from becoming head of House Prewitt like Molly so desperately want him to be."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah and now with Dumbledore gone, Percy finally got the votes to make him the Prewitt head. Bad enough I have to deal with him in his capacity in the Ministry but to now having to listen to him drone on in the Wizengamot? It's torture. I swear to God he's going to end up like Binns."

Hermione smiled at that, "Heaven forbid! So I can understand the need for the change but how does this affect you?"

Harry looked sheepish, "Well pretty much both Fleur and Gabrielle have offered me a lineage contracts. Although after the divorce I wouldn't be surprised if Fleur wouldn't mind becoming Lady Potter. Gabrielle hints have made it abundantly clear she'd accept being my wife or consort. All I have to do is ask."

Hermione couldn't help but snort, "Only you, Harry Potter, could have two half-Veela interested in him and not take a running leap into their beds!"

Harry shrugged, "I know but as much as I like both women, I just can't shake they like me more for the fact their allure doesn't make me all stupid around them. Anyway in Gabrielle's case I'm seriously considering it because of Lilith."

Hermione waved to a house elf for another drink. After taking a sip she asked, "Lilith? Why her or does this have something to do with the Isis Foundation?"

"Right in one. As you can guess Veela genes are highly prized to be spread around. However due to Veela's nature it isn't something that is easy to do. Veela tend to be _**very**_ monogamous so even taking a lineage contract runs a risk of getting too involved. In Gabrielle's case I could use the life debt she owes me to sort of mitigate that risk." Harry said.

"Ah, I see! Yes, the magic of fulfilling the life-debt could easily over-ride her Veela's natural tendency to want to bond closer with you. I take it you don't want to do the same with Fleur because her divorce from Bill makes her especially vulnerable to bonding?" Hermione asked.

Harry face lit up, "Right again! It's why I don't want to get involved with Fleur. Even if I married her, she'd probably take it very badly if I took another wife or consort to gain an heir for my other house. Hell, from what I've heard, she'd probably fight a lineage contract. I like Fleur a lot but the thing with Bill was a disaster and I know it hurt her badly."

Harry snagged another drink from a passing elf. "Plus I think it the whole business showed her how much she was running from her responsibilities to her House. The French aren't as wrapped up in having a male being the head of a house. Jean-Paul wanted to start training Fleur to take over as soon as she graduated just in case. For some reason this terrified her so she sort of ran away and end up with Bill. Fleur told me how she has made quite a life of running away. It was why she took up professional broom racing before her Weasley cock-up almost ruined that career for her."

"Yes I did see she's back in contention again. I doubt she would have been able to do that while cranking out more Weasleys." Hermione said.

Harry frowned, "Like any more of those ginger prats are needed."

Hermione frowned as well, "Let's not bring up the gingers; I'm having a nice time for a change. So has beyond the Isis Foundation lusting after your genes, what about potentials for just making Harry feel good? I doubt you have many people who throw themselves at you that you'd be willing to catch."

"Yeah; it's a very short list. With Luna out of the picture about one of the only ones I've actually considered is Daphne Greengrass. I was sort of hoping she'd be here tonight but Astoria told me earlier she got called to Bern for some business. You know how the Gnomes are even worse than the Goblins for doing things at a certain day and on a certain time no matter how it bollixes up everyone's schedule."

Hermione blinked in surprise, "Beyond the fact she was one of the prettiest witches in our year, why her? I'm not saying it isn't a good choice but I'm just a bit surprised. I mean I got to know her a bit through Study Group but besides class projects I didn't think you'd really had much contact with her before Seventh Year."

Harry nodded, "I didn't but with Riddle dead gals like Daphne and Tracey could finally act the way they way they really were and not wear the masks they needed to wear to protect themselves. Hell even Millie got a chance to be more than Pansy's pet thug after all those years. I see Daphne a lot in many of the same circles I see Susan in. With House Greengrass returning to being the prime shipper of House Potter goods in the UK, well I see her a lot in a business settings as well."

"And I'm betting you've had a few drinks after long, boring business meetings with her." Hermione guessed.

"Pretty much. Nothing more than two people out unwinding after a long meeting. However about a week ago Daphne pretty much said I needed to quite moping about Ginny and she told me her bed was always open and she expected me to be there soon." Harry said.

Hermione nodded, "Well Daphne is anything but shy."

Harry looked uncertain, "I don't know. I've gotten mixed signals from her. On one hand I think she wouldn't mind being Lady Peverell. Actually I think she wants to be Lady Black even though she knows I'm only acting as regent for the House until either Sally changes her mind about taking on the mantle or Jacob turns seventeen."

"Well regent or not, you _**are**_ Lord Black legally and by blood. Again only you would give up that much power and wealth Harry," Hermione said gently.

"I know but being the head of just one Ancient and Noble House can be a headache. Managing three can be a hassle at times. People like Ron always go on about how wretched it is to be poor. They don't realize how much work it is to be rich." Harry said a bit dejectedly.

"Well I'm sure it is a lot of work if you try to make a difference and not just let the Goblins do everything for you." Hermione proudly. She was happy to see Harry perk up at the praise. "So what other signals is Daphne sending? You know, she might want to be Lady Black simply because any children you have could be designated as an heir to House Greengrass since you pretty much have designated Jacob to be the next Lord Black. From a political point of view it makes sense. She gets to have the benefits of being a wife while being able to generate an heir for her house like a consort."

While she made it sound like it was all business, Hermione wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer but for some reason she felt she had to know. She was surprised at how the thought of Harry being with the stunning Slytherin bothered her. She liked Daphne and as matches went it would probably be good for both of them. Still as much as her brain seemed to like the idea, her stomach still felt like a gymnastics class was in session at the thought of the two of them together. Perhaps it was just her old feelings of feeling ugly surfacing again.

Harry looked away, "I think she's lonely. I sort of feel she's in the same situation as me. She's got wealth and power on top of being so beautiful. I think she has found it hard to find a suitor who wants her for her. Since I'm in the same boat I think she feels we can at least have a shag and not make anything out of it."

Hermione bit her lip, "I can see that. If something came out of it, good for her. On the other hand, if it ended up just being sex, neither of you would go to pieces over breaking up."

Harry nodded, "Exactly. The problem is while I'm sure she is interested in me, I think I'm filling in for someone she can't have."

Hermione noticed Parvati giving her a friendly wave which she returned. She took a quick look around and noticed a lot more people had shown up as the night wore on. By the look of it she didn't think many of the clubs with catered to the magical set were doing well tonight. She looked back at Harry, "Sorry; so who do you think she's pining for?"

Harry looked around as if checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "Tracey," Harry said quietly.

Hermione was a bit shocked, "Really? I never would have thought Daphne as a lesbian."

Harry shook his head quickly, "She's not. There were a few times when Tracey joined us for drinks so I got to see them together. Trust me; they have no trouble talking about men they fancy. I heard far too much about how hot that Johnny Depp bloke is than I ever want to hear again! I just think the two of them got real close back at Hogwarts. You know, just as well as I that people whose magical auras naturally mesh don't have to be of a different gender."

Hermione sighed, "Ahh and it doesn't help our auras tend to merge during sex. With all the crap going on in Slytherin House back in the day I'm guessing Daphne and Tracey were monogamous girl-sex partners." Seeing Harry nod, "I know Sally and Lilith were sort of like back at Hogwarts but Sally did have a lot of boyfriends so she wasn't always just with Lilith."

Harry nodded again in agreement before continuing, "Well Tracey is married to Adrian Pucey now and he's apparently the jealous sort. That and I think he believes the closeness between the two is a slight against his manhood. So Adrian is always worried Tracey might be sneaking off for a little 'girl's night out' action so he's really watching her every move. I know he gives her crap if Daphne does anything more than the occasional floo call. So Daphne isn't just without a boyfriend but also missing her best friend. So yeah, I think she's lonely and feels she can't have who she wants. She feels I'm in the same situation of not being able to have who I really desire."

Hermione shook her head, "Well as much as I'm mad at her for leaving without a note or explanation, you can't really say it's over with between you and Ginny."

Harry looked away, "I wasn't talking about Ginny."

There was something in his voice that caused her heart to flutter for some reason. "Then who were you talking about? It's Luna isn't it?" Hermione asked.

Harry turned back to her and his eyes seemed to pierce her like the Sword of Gryffindor, "No, I'm talking about you."

Hermione's mouth went dry. She forced out a scornful chuckle, "Ha, ha Harry. Very funny."

Harry frowned a bit, "Why do you think I'm joking?"

"Come on Harry! You and me? That's just...daft." Hermione said lamely. "Besides why do you say you can't have me; you've never asked."

"Haven't I? No, not in so many words but there have been moments when all it would have taken was a smile, a lifted eyebrow or even just you biting your lip in that cute way that you do and I would have. I thought you might back in Sixth Year before Ron and Lavender barged in and ruined the moment."

Harry looked away again before going on softly, "Then you turned me down after our dance in the tent."

Hermione was glad Harry couldn't see her face fall at the mention of that moment. For so many years that moment kept creeping back into her thoughts. Try as she might to forget it, to tell herself she made the right choice at the time, no matter how badly things went later, she kept wondering what if? What if?

Before she could stammer out a reply, Harry turned back with a slightly angry look on his face. "No matter how bad Ron hurt you, to me it looked like you continued to hold a torch for him. Even after you caught him cheating on you with Lavender and you threw him out, you never dated again. Unbelievably you didn't even change the locks so he could come right back in to try and weasel his way back into your good graces when Lavender cheated on him with Seamus. What else was I supposed to think until that last bit with the hex? Three years you didn't date and didn't change the locks. Three years where we were still just friends and you resisted any mention of a new boyfriend. Plus let's not forget that fight we had at Ginny's party back in 2007. I thought you made your intentions quite clear."

Hermione tried to speak but no words came out. She had never thought of how things might have looked to everyone else. Yet she hadn't changed the locks because Harry had a key. Had she refused to date because, like Harry said, she was still pining for Ron or because Harry hadn't married Ginny and there was something there, deep down who wanted to know the answer to that what if? Yes they had fought at the party Harry mentioned but later she realized she was more mad at herself than Harry since she hadn't been to keep away. For all she had wanted to step away from either of the Golden Trio she had shown up as if she couldn't resist like a moth drawn to a flame.

While she wasn't a Weasley, Hermione had pride and no matter the confusion in her she didn't like the insinuations Harry was making. It didn't matter how true they might be. She flushed partly out of embarrassment and anger. "I didn't date all those years, Harry James Potter, because Ron hurt me and I was concentrating on my studies! As for you, I would remind you, were with Ginny so if how was I to make a go at you?"

Harry gave a humorless laugh. "So you took three years to get over your hurt? Pull the other one Hermione. When you had showed up at the party after denying you'd go I thought you might be there to send out a feeler. I was a mess and I would have gladly jumped off the Ginny band-wagon. Yet you laid into me almost as bad as you had even down to Ron. After that you seem to drift away so I felt I had better work on my relationship with Ginny. But I think I've always known you've always put me ahead of everything when push comes to shove. Ron was right back in the wilderness; you chose me over him. No matter what, I'd do the same for you."

While her heart seemed to be singing the hallelujah chorus, Hermione's brain kicked into overdrive. Old arguments can boiling out of her subconscious. "We are _**not **_doing this, Harry. I just had that git try and get back into my life three months ago and you are on the rebound from Ginny. No, this isn't going to happen. I spent the last three years finding out who Hermione Granger really is and the first thing I'm not going to do is jump back into the arms of one of the Trio!"

She gathered up her purse and stood to leave but before she could stalk off Harry's voice stopped her. "You're doing it again."

Hermione turned to see Harry simply watching her with a neutral expression on her face. "I'm doing what exactly?" Hermione asked crossly.

"You are putting what you seem to think is right and proper over us. You keep coming up with reasons for why we can't be together. Why?" Harry replied evenly.

Hermione's face fell at those words. Her mind was awhirl with arguments and counter-arguments while her stomach and heart yelled their own opinions. In the end, it was her brain which got control of her mouth first. "I do the right and proper thing because it is the right and proper thing, Harry. Nothing is going to change that…not even you."

Hermione turned away and stalked off to the floo room leaving a stricken Harry alone among the rest of the happy party-goers.

**XxXxX**

**A/N**: This chapter ended up being shorter than I had expected because I decided to split it. As with any of my first time postings, it is always a good idea to reread the previous chapter before reading this chapter. Since I posted it, I made corrections and ended up adding 500+ words of content to Chapter One. Then I came back and changed things so more due to the idea below.

**Harry Potter and the Dido Chronicles**: While emailing back and forth with a reviewer, it hit me there are a lot of Dido songs which fit this story. So when I get some time, I'm going to expand this fic to take those songs into effect. This story will be included as one of the chapters with some minor changes. For example, in this expanded fic, Harry and Hermione were lovers briefly during the whole 'tent trek' which sets up the first chapter based on _My Lover's Gone _for when Voldemort 'kills' Harry . Astute readers (or at least Dido fans) will have probably caught that Ron coming back after Lavender cheating on him is based off a mix of _Don't Think of Me_ and _All That You Wan_t.

**That Dance**: I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt Movie 7 fell flat when Hermione just walked away from Harry when they danced in the tent. While I'm more of a Luna shipper, I also know in the real world after a scene like that there would have been a lemony scene to delight the hearts of Harmony fans everywhere!


	3. Interlude

**Ginny's In India Now– NC-17/MA for Sexual Content & Adult Situations **

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: **_It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion._

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND: **This is a AU take on JKR's writings It is not canonical but is more in line with my other published work. It is also a song-fic based on Dido's _Mary's In India_ with some other songs of her crashing the party in this chapter.

**CHAPTER SPECIFIC WARNING**: Ahoy! Lemony goodness ahead!

**CHAPTER THREE – INTERLUDE**

_I felt the same today as I was feeling yesterday_

_It'll be the same tomorrow from then on it won't change_

_I never wanna say it's love_

_But it's really what I'm thinking of__*****_

**M11 MOTORWAY, NORTHBOUND, SEPTEMBER 5****th**** 2010 – AFTERNOON**

The wind rushing through his hair always made Harry feel better. No matter how bad things were (and in Harry's case that had often been down-right miserable) a turn on his broom could always make him feel better. Now that he was older, he had adult toys to help him feel better. While broom riding was definitely a rush there was something to be said about being behind the wheel of a BMW convertible. Justin liked to tease him about how he wasn't being a good Brit by not driving an Aston Martin but Harry liked his Beamer over the DB AR1 roadster. Besides, he wasn't James Bond.

Wanting to feel better was on his mind as he drove north towards Cambridge. Towards his dinner date with Hermione. She said she wanted to have him come up so she could apologize for how she acted at the Bones' party and he was quite happy to let her. Yet since that night he'd been thinking a lot about his bushy-haired friend. That in turn had got him thinking about a lot of things.

He could have easily waited till it was time to show up and then use the floo network but Harry wanted to drive so he could have time to think. His Quidditch skills kept him fully engaged in watching the roadway even as his mind was elsewhere. Harry had done a lot of soul-searching since he found Ginny's room empty. He had come to realize a lot of things about himself, Ginny and about Hermione as well. If his life was a puzzle, he was finally getting the pieces arranged logically so he could finally start putting them into place.

Harry realized how he'd been shown this years ago but he hadn't been ready to listen. Now his thoughts drifted back to that long ago lesson.

**XxXxX**

_Oh how quiet, quiet the world can be_

_When it's just you and little me_

_Everything is clear and everything is new_

_So you won't be leaving will you?__*****_

**GRIMMAULD PLACE, LONDON – JULY 14****th**** 2007 – AFTERNOON**

"It is not as bad as you think, Harry," A soft voice behind him said. A voice which carried even over the pounding music.

Harry turned to see Luna looking up at him with her silvery blue eyes filled with concern and love.

Harry frowned, "You know Luna I've found you have a way of saying something so totally and obviously wrong about the way things are only to later have those words prove to be absolutely true. I really hope this is the case because I feel wretched."

Luna smiled warmly as she took his hand, "Walk with me. It is too loud in here."

Harry let the pretty blonde lead him away from the party going on boisterously around them. Amazingly the spat between him and Hermione seemed to somehow have gone unnoticed. Of course from the sounds of it Ginny was 'holding court' in the main room and showing off footage from the new 'Quidditch Cams' that Colin had come up with. While not a technomancer per se Colin was certainly rocking the world when it came to imagery.

Luna led him into the kitchen which was a den of busy activity as Dobby, Winky and house elves from some of the guests worked to keep things running smoothly.

Luna made an odd noise in her throat and every elf seemed to pause and look at her. "Harry needs some time alone so we can have a chat. Could you do us a favor and tell anyone who asks that Harry is taking an important call and cannot be disturbed? He will be back as soon as business permits."

The elves looked at Harry who nodded slightly. All the elves beamed and assured him they would make sure the Master and "Miss Goodyloves' wouldn't be disturbed.

Again Luna pulled him along as she made her way into the gardens. They carefully avoided some of the smokers who were out talking in the gazebo. She led him to the Garden House which was a sort of mix of servant's quarters, tool shed and garden storage. At one time House Black had a human butler for a time for what ever reason and this was where he had lived. After waiting for Harry to spell it open, she took him in and began to cast privacy spells he hadn't seen since his time on the run with Ron and Hermione.

Hermione! What had happened tonight? Things had been so weird between them of late. He'd tried to be supportive of her as much as his schedule (and Ginny) allowed after her relationship with Ron crashed and burn when the git was caught doing the old 'in-and-out' with Lavender. Yet Hermione was hard to read now. She almost seemed bipolar in how she could either be the friend she'd always been (with perhaps a hint of sadness she couldn't be more) to being almost cold to him.

Tonight had been a bad night for him and Harry admitted he had slipped back into old habits. Hell even Hannah had noticed it and snarked how she had hoped 'Emo McBroodypants' had long ago bitten the dust. It was just things with him and Ginny had been off of late. While they didn't fight, they weren't really connecting like they use to. The party was a good example of this. He had given into it even though Ginny knew how much he hated hosting parties. Why couldn't she be content to go to other parties? Susan's balls were always fun so why not let her put them on? However Ginny had been adamant so finally he had given in.

Yet as the night had worn on Harry had felt like a stranger in his own house. So he was in a bit of a funk when Hermione had found him. He had thought to unburden some of his worries onto a friendly ear but amazingly Hermione had treated him like he was acting like a petulant child. She had laid into him for being pitiful and had left saying how he had made his bed and now he had to lie in it.

"And they called me Looney. You are so far away a niffler could jump into your knickers and I am not sure you would notice."

Luna's voice brought Harry back to the present. While the light was poor, Harry could see Luna's face still was filled with concern and love. It occurred to Harry how many times they had been here before. Harry being lost and Luna helping him find his way back.

Suddenly without thinking, Harry leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, "You always show up when I'm in a dark place. You always light the way back for me. Thank you."

Luna blushed slightly. "Harry you have had so much darkness in your life it is amazing you are the wonderful person that you are. I think far too many people still see a hero and forget the man he really is."

Harry snorted bitterly, "Some ruddy hero I turned out to be! I don't know what is wrong with me Luna! I have money, I have power, I've got a beautiful girlfriend and friends I only dreamed I could have when I was a kid. I'm finally doing things that make a difference, things where I'm not the bloody _He-Who-Conquered_ and yet I'm so empty inside!"

Harry turned away and stared up at a painting which dated back to the 1300's and was probably worth millions. "What is with me and women? Ginny! Hermione! Neither of them are happy with me. Bollocks! None of the women in my life are happy. Susan seems disappointed with me, Lilith always is saying I'm not living up to my potential and Daphne keeps telling me I need to pull my head out of my arse but won't tell my why! Is there some sort of pact you witches have to be as maddening as possible? To make it hard for us blokes to figure out what you want and then punish us for not understanding?"

"Yes Harry it is something like that." Luna said serenely.

Harry turned back to her in surprise. "What?"

Luna reached up and caressed his cheek, "Harry the reason you are having a problem is two-fold. First off no matter how horrid you life was growing up; you are one of the nicest men I have ever met. There are so many things boys and men regularly do which you do not even conceive of much less do. Oh you have your times when you are a prat but who is not at times? Witch or Wizard? Because you are so nice, you often do not see the seamier side of things. Things the rest of us have to deal with."

Her smile faded, "Similarly the other reason you are having problems is you just never noticed how girls and women are often treated. Oh I am sure you have seen it but you reject it and never think about the realities."

Harry couldn't help but look confused, "I'm not sure what you mean."

Luna pinched his cheek, "Of course you do not; you prove my point. Tell me Harry…was Seamus held in high regard in the boy dorms back at Hogwarts? He was widely known for being very successful with witches."

Harry nodded not sure where Luna was going with her question.

"What about Pansy? Never mind she was a Slytherin. Or how about Lavender? How were they seen by the boys?" Luna asked.

"Well Pansy was seen as a slag but I'm sure that was mostly because she was a Slytherin. Lavender was seen more as a tart. A nice one to be sure. Most of the guys really wanted to get into her knickers." Harry said slowly.

Luna nodded, "Exactly. Pansy and Lavender probably slept with fewer wizards than Seamus did witches. Yet he was seen in a good light, a cocksman no doubt. Someone others probably wish they could be like. Pansy and Lavender were just slutty tarts. An easy fuck if you could stand it."

Harry blinked at Luna's profanity. She was right though. Except for shy guys like Neville and himself, the boys of Gryffindor idolized Seamus for his easy way with the witches. Gals like Lavender were seen as prizes but not someone you'd take home to meet the mum. Actually it was amazing Ron ended up with her considering how traditional Molly Weasley was about such things. Harry doubted she was the type of gal she felt was right for her little Ronnikens.

Luna smiled at the look of understanding on Harry's face. "You see Harry girls and women are told we need to be pretty but not too pretty because then we are vain or we will attract the wrong sort of man. We should be sexy but not too sexy or we will be seen as a tart. We are expected to look out for our man but to do too much makes us a nag. In modern times we are told to take control of our sexuality but even if we do and sleep with whom we want on our terms we are still often labeled as slags. Is it any wonder you are confused about women when we ourselves have been getting mixed messages since we were playing with dolls?"

Harry frowned, "I'm sorry. I have been an egotistical, self-absorbed prat like Hermione said, haven't I? It's all about me. I never think about other people's problems."

Luna seemed to flow like water around Harry as she gave him a gentle hug. "Not at all. Hermione as her own demons she is wrestling with at the moment. She is living in a glass house of her own making and should not be tossing stones at you! I am just trying to teach you a simple lesson about witches, Harry."

Harry couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of Luna in his arms. She was so beautiful in her ethereal way. For some reason he almost didn't feel worthy to be in her arms like she was a fairy princess not of this plane of existence and he was just a common, mundane man of no consequence. "What lesson would that be, Luna?" Harry said. He was surprised at how hoarse his voice had become.

"You need to learn to listen to what a witch is really saying. You need to hear what she wants to say but for what ever reason cannot make herself say. Then, Harry James Potter-Black-Peverell, you need to stop waiting for Hermione to tell you what to do."

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

Luna smiled and kissed him. The kiss shut down anything else Harry was about to say. "You need to stop being so passive, Harry. You have done a good job of it in regards to your businesses. When it comes to finance or your charities I have seen how bold and decisive you can be. Just like you were back in when teaching the D.A. or competing on the Quidditch pitch. When it comes to almost everything else you seem to be waiting for Hermione to come along with one of her ubiquitous lists and tell you what to do and when to do it.

Luna took his hands into hers, "Harry I know your pitiful excuse for relatives did their best to warp you. As I said, it is amazing you turned out as brilliant as you have. Yet they did make you unsure of yourself when it comes to things concerning yourself. If one needs a Quidditch game to be won, a Dark Lord to be defeated or some injustice to be fought, then you are the wizard to call because then you are bold, decisive and unyielding. It is when you have to deal with your own wants, desires and needs were you become hesitant, unsure and beset with worries of unworthiness."

Harry wanted to deny this but found he couldn't look away from the blonde's silvery-blue eyes. He had often had people tell him how piercing his own gaze could be. Padma once said it felt like being a mouse confronted by a cobra. Luna's eyes were similarly captivating and he could only stare and remain silent.

Luna took Harry's hands and placed them on her hips and then leaned in and kissed Harry in a manner that wasn't anything like her normal friendly chaste kisses of hello or good-bye. After breaking that kiss she cocked her head to the side, "How did that make you feel? I am betting you are already thinking of Ginny or thinking of how this is a mistake or anything other than thinking about the fact that you liked it."

Again Harry's voice came out hoarsely, "How do you know I liked it?"

Luna smiled knowingly as one hand snaked down to the front of Harry's trousers to find the proof. "I think we both can feel how much you liked it Harry," Luna said softly. Her voice had an erotic undertone of which Harry had never heard before.

"Luna...we can't…I'm with Ginny!" Harry stammered out as he fought not to grind into Luna's hand which continued to rub his manhood through his trousers.

Luna laughed musically, "I am sorry Harry but I do not care. You asked for my help and I am helping. You need to learn to listen to your body and your feelings. This is doubly so due to your heritage. Lilith is disappointed with you because you deny your genes. You have the blood of the succubae in you and they are sexual creatures. Yet even with Ginny you seem guarded and unsure of yourself and you body. Ginny has often complained to me how she expected you to be much more passionate in bed."

Harry looked away but Luna stopped rubbing his crotch to turn his head back to her. "Trying to deny what you are is futile Harry. Why do you try to deny your birthright? Do you realize you are trying to stamp out what you are just like the Dursleys tried to stamp out your magic? It cannot be done."

Harry's head began to swim as Luna once again kissed him deeply. "Harry, your problem is control. You have anger from your childhood along with the passion of your genes in your soul and you fear them getting out of control. Yet you have shown time and time again you never truly lose control. If this was not true I doubt Draco Malfoy would be alive today. You need to let go of that worry. With the proper precautions you can be sure you do not let your anger get to you. Just be sure to have a predetermined safe-word!" Luna grinned evilly.

Harry was gob-smacked. He knew Luna wasn't the innocent little dreamy waif so many took her for but he really wasn't expecting this!

Luna grew serious (or what passed for it) and rubbed his shoulder for a bit, "Now Harry for your next lesson I will teach you how to better listen to what a woman is saying when she says no but is actually saying yes. A lot of us witches have our own hang-ups just like you. Sadly there are so many of us wandering around half-blind and beset by our feelings of inadequacies it is amazing anyone gets together at all let along get married."

Harry frowned at how the image of Hermione popped into his head at these words. Maybe tonight was less about him than he thought. hermione had put an odd twist on things during their fight. He hadn't thought about it since he had been too busy feeling sorry for himself."

"Kiss me, Harry," Luna said to draw Harry out of his thoughts.

Harry first thought was to refuse but he had to admit how alluring Luna looked. Her eyes didn't seem so wide apart as they had back at school and her lips had blossomed into a fullness Harry knew many woman resorted to chemical injections to achieve. His brain kept yelling about Ginny but for a change the rest of him (including a rather insistent part in his trousers) over-rode it. He leaned forward to give Luna as good as she had given him.

To his surprise she turned her cheek away, "Please Harry, don't! We are just friends and I do not want to mess that up."

Harry's eyebrows went up in surprise. Hadn't she asked him to kiss her? Harry was about to mumble an apology when it hit him. He was about to do what he'd always done; he immediately retreated! Unsure of what to do he paused for just a second but Harry felt he had to try something. So he took a page from Luna and reached out to turn her head back to him, "We will always be friends Luna. Nothing is going to change that. A kiss certainly won't." Harry bent to kiss her again.

This time Luna let him kiss her before she pushed him away as he has started to get into the kiss. "No, please…Harry. I am just not that sort of girl!" Luna said sounding eerily sincere.

Again Harry's heart raced as he tried to figure out the next move in this weird dance of a lesson. Luna had said he did best when he was working for other people's needs. Maybe he needed to see himself as chasing a snitch and in catching it both parties would win. Something deep in him stirred at the idea of The Chase. In an instant Harry seemed to get a better feel for what he had to do.

So he crowded closer to her and bent so that his forehead was against Luna's. "What sort of girl are you Luna? How about we find out together? I already like the sort of girl that I already know. What other wonderful things are you hiding?" Before Luna could do more than get half-way through her next fake protest, Harry captured her lips and began to kiss her deeply.

Luna struggled slightly but Harry hugged her more closely as he kissed her. After a minute of deep, passionate kissing Harry found he had her pressed against the wall and both of them had unconsciously started to grind their hips against each other. Harry broke the kiss which left Luna gasping for air. He saw her nipples were hard under her summer blouse.

Without thinking Harry's hand began to unbutton it. Luna whimpered in need but softly hissed, "Harry, please! What will people think?"

Harry looked up and grinned, "They'll think I'm one hell of a lucky bloke!" Harry went back to kissed her until he had to look back down to undo her bra. Luckily it had a front clasp. Harry sucked in his breath as he shrugged off her shirt. Luna's breasts weren't large but her areolas were amazing. They took up almost the entirety of the ends of her breasts and were puffy with blood. Her nipples were huge and he couldn't help but begin to stroke them." Luna moaned and continued to grind against him as she began to run her hands through his hair. As Harry began to softly tweak her nipples Luna begged, "Please…be gentle!"

Harry figured he knew what Luna was trying to teach so he leaned down and took her left nipple in his teeth can kneaded harder than he might with Ginny while lashing it with his tongue. Luna gave out a small shriek of pleasure which caused Harry to redouble his effort. He took one hand and began to tweak the other nipple roughly but carefully. His other hand found its way under her skirt to find her sex warm and moist. While Luna wore a bra she obviously was into going commando!

She was also wet and willing as Harry's fingers easily penetrated her as he began slow, easy strokes in time with the tongue-lashing he was give first one nipple than the other. He couldn't help but smile around one when she began to moan for him to stop. Considering how much Luna was arching her back and bucking against him, Harry was amazed she was still able to pretend she didn't want this!

Harry let himself fall into the 'lesson' as Luna continued to moan and shudder. Luna's nipple was like a marble in his mouth and he marveled at how different it felt compared to Ginny's. Moreover Luna's breasts seemed much more sensitive if her reactions to his touch meant anything. Ginny never got as wet as Luna was now that was for certain. Ginny was also not as vocal as the blonde who was groaning happily and occasionally gave out small yelps of pleasure.

While Harry knew many women faked orgasms, he was pretty sure Luna had two of them in short order. What bothered Harry was the realization of his only sexual experience had been with Ginny. He really had no way to compare Luna with anyone but Ginny. For some reason Harry had never thought about this before. Maybe the early Catholic upbringing by the Dursleys had a harder hold on him than he had thought. He had never questioned saving sex till he was in a committed relationship before. Now as he pulled his moist fingers out of Luna and leaned back to watch as she tried to catch breath, Harry couldn't help but wonder what he had been missing all this time.

One thing was certain and that was Harry wasn't going to pass up this opportunity no matter how guilty he'd probably feel later. He began to unbuckle his trousers. Yet as he was stepping out of them with his cock hard and eager to fill Luna up, her eyes snapped open and she grabbed him roughly by his shirt.

"No! This is not going to happen! I am not about to be just another notch in your Quidditch belt! The last thing I need is to have my reputation bandied about down at the pub after you've had a quick slap-and-tickle! You need to get dressed and get out!" Luna said angrily.

For a second Harry almost began to reach down to pull his trousers back up at the earnest heat in Luna's words. Again he paused before he stuttered out an apology. While Luna's words reminded Harry of Hermione earlier, now she was sounding a bit like Ginny. There had been a time after Harry had gone back to finish his schooling that he'd been quite randy but Ginny wouldn't have any of it. She seemed obsessed about how people might think her cheap even though Harry knew everyone thought the pair probably started shagging a week after Voldemort fell. It had been almost a year after they had both graduated before they actually had intercourse for the first time.

Once again Harry couldn't help but marvel at how perceptive Luna could be. As if she was reading him like he was simply a sign on the wall. Some of the dark thoughts he had back when he had been spurned by Ginny came back to him so Harry again crowded Luna against the wall. "Your reputation? What about mine? Do you think I like having fan-girls like you throw themselves at me only to suddenly change their tune when things get a bit hot and heavy? Don't play the game if you're going to try and change the rules half-way through!"

Luna's face fell into a sneer which would have done Draco proud, "Oh so now you are just going to force the issue? So much for my choice and my needs!"

Harry laughed as he reached down and hiked up Luna's skirt up while he pried open her legs with one knee. While not at the proper angle, Harry was able to stroke his cock against Luna's wet slit. "I think I can feel exactly what should be done to satisfy your needs!"

"You fucking bastard!" Luna hissed as she struggled but also ground back against Harry's manhood.

"I have you know my parents were happily married. As were yours so I know who I'm fucking!" Harry said lightly as he lifted Luna up and with a few thrusts was able to finally enter Luna's hot sex. The pair both moaned deeply as Harry shifted more from supporting her weight up and more towards keeping her against the wall.

"You are a bastard, Harry Potter! I will sue you for everything you own!" The threat was difficult to take seriously considering how hard Luna was panting. Before she could continue with more fake protests Harry caught her lips with his own and soon their tongues were dueling fiercely. Again Harry found it easy to let go and forget everything but the feel of Luna on his lips, the pressure of her breasts against his chest and the hot, tight feeling of her around his thrusting cock.

Through all the glorious sensations, Luna's warmth, her taste, the sounds of the dirty, meaty thuds her arse made as it was smacked against the wall with each deep thrust, Harry was surprisingly calm about what he was doing. It didn't matter he was cheating on Ginny. Harry couldn't help but resent how they were living together but the subject of marriage was a tense subject. Even Molly Weasley had learned not to bring it up more than once a visit. Harry, however, wanted more…much more.

What was truly amazing (and frightening) was how even though Harry knew this was temporary, only a lesson (a glorious lesson!) Luna was trying to teach him, the connection between him and the witch moaning against his tongue felt more real than anything in the last few years he had had with Ginny. What did this mean?

Luna seemed to sense his thoughts as she began to buck and writhe against him which caused Harry to quickly lose any thoughts other than the pleasure which was flowing through him. Far too soon Harry felt a familiar tightening in his scrotum and his breathing became ragged and his thrusts more urgent.

Luna shuddered against him and gave out a long, pleasure-filled moan which end in almost a shout. It was a sound which seemed to go straight to his cock as he felt his own orgasm begin. "I'm cumming!" Harry managed to blurt out less as a warning and more of a statement of happy completion.

Luna's eyes snapped opened and with surprising strength pushed Harry off and out of her. Before Harry could do more than give a yelp of surprise, the blonde was on her knees and had him in her mouth. Her tongue quickly made up for the lack of her sex around him and with a strangled cry Harry began to cum. He grabbed Luna's head roughly to steady himself as she greedily sucked spurt after spurt of his cum out of him. Harry found himself unable to do more than grunt loudly at each spurt. He hadn't felt like this since…since…

As his orgasm subsided, Harry held himself up against the wall with both his hands as he looked down at Luna. The blonde looked up at him with a look of pure completion on her face and Harry's heart turned over. He realized he'd never cum like that nor had he ever really felt like he was feeling now. His only regret is he wished he could have cum in Luna.

"Luna…that was beyond brilliant but I wish I could have cum in you. You feel…well you feel like nothing I've ever felt before," Harry said ragged since he was panting deeply. His orgasm had really taken a toll on him and he felt as he had spent part of himself through his cock.

Luna smiled as she licked a last bit of cum which was leaking out of his rapidly shrinking penis. "I do as well, Harry. Yet if Lilith was here she'd remind you that passion is in your genes. Like magic, intent is everything and you want a family. Between your magic and your succubae genes, I'm not about to trust a contraceptive charm. Why do you think Ginny makes you wear condoms?"

Harry blinked at this. He thought about it as he helped Luna onto her feet. He had wondered about it but had taken her excuse of being 'rubbish at them' at face value. While he didn't want to knock Ginny up out of marriage, the fact she knew how fertile he was and lied about her reasoning bothered him.

The sudden frown on his face vanished as he looked back to find Luna staring at him. Again her face was filled with the innocent concern and love she had had earlier. Again his heart lurched in his chest and he couldn't help but smile like a love-struck teen. "So Professor Lovegood, how did I do?"

"I think we can safely say you scored an Outstanding. I would like to do further testing but I think that would detract from the over-all goal of the lesson." Luna said gently. "Although I must say that if things do not turn out as I would like, I think I may have to give serious thought to seeking a Consort bond with House Potter as a few have suggested me over the years."

Harry just stared into Luna's eyes as he pondered what she had just offered. It was too big for the moment so he latched on to what he could deal with at the time. "Luna…again you've led me out of a dark place and I am in your debt once again. I'll be sure to use these lessons about women and try to smooth things out with Ginny. Hopefully I can get this to work."

Luna's face took on a look which made Harry shiver. It was as if she was suddenly there and elsewhere at the same time. He felt goose-bumps erupt all over him and a coolness take to the room.

"The lesson was not for you and Ginny, Harry. It was for you to learn about women. Now you have the tools to find love at last."

Her voice was odd and deep which reminded Harry ominously enough of Professor Trelawney. Luna continued to stare at him with an enigmatic smile on her face.

What did she mean?

**M11 MOTORWAY, NORTHBOUND, SEPTEMBER 5****th**** 2010 – AFTERNOON**

Harry felt his pulse take a jump as he saw a road-sign denoting the exit to change over to the road-way which would take him to Cambridge.

Regardless of how well Luna had thought he had learned her lesson, Harry knew he immediately bollixed it up. After they had cleaned up and went back to the party, Harry found himself going back into familiar habits. Guilt for cheating on Ginny sprung up and tormented him. What Luna had been trying to teach him was lost in his futile efforts to try to repair their relationship. While it was true that for awhile after his tryst with Luna things got better with Ginny it soon fell back to the rut it had been when he and Hermione had fought about it.

Now after seeing Hermione again, dancing with her, feeling her in his arms, Harry knew exactly what Luna had been trying to teach him.

He loved Hermione. Luna had given him the key to unlocking her and winning the heart of the woman he had always truly loved.

**XxXxX**

**A/N**: Well again I decided to split this chapter and then split it again. I'm really trying to get away from my 15,000 monolithic chapters so I can post more often. I think it's one of the reason's I haven't finished Chapter 18 _HP and the Rejected Path_ since I can't really break that one up and start with smaller chapters.

*** Crashing the Party**: The first two bits of lyrics are not from _Mary's In India Now_ but from _Never Want to Say It's Love_ and _Don't Leave Home_. I figured these parts are mostly an aside so different music was fine. Plus while I am writing this as a stand-alone for now, it will be part of a larger, over-all Dido Song-fic. For example the party in the Interlude will be seen from Hermione's POV in the chapter based on the song, _See You When You're 40_.

**Succubae Blood**: For those who haven't read _HP and the Rejected Path_, a common theme in my fics is Harry's has the blood of an incubus in him. This is because of a certain 'experiment' if you will by one who took to returning to one line over and over. The Squib which married Isla Black was actually this incubus as was Lily's maternal grandfather. Or more properly the incubus used his shape-shifting powers to sneak in and impregnate the woman without her husband realizing it. It is from this that Harry gets his limited metamorphic power as well as his the ability to talk to snakes. I will delve more into this in later chapters in Rejected Path and have an idea to have Harry actually meet this incubus in a different fic.


	4. I Cooked For Him

**Ginny's In India Now– NC-17/MA for Sexual Content & Adult Situations **

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST**: It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion.

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND**: This is a AU take on JKR's writings It is not canonical but is more in line with my other published work. It is also a song-fic based on Dido's Mary's In India with some other songs of her crashing the party.

**CHAPTER FOUR – I COOKED FOR HIM**

_**Harry came over last night and I cooked for him**_

_**We talked about you Ginny and how much we loved you still**_

_**He told me he's packed up your books and your letters and things**_

_**As the sun sets on Ginny's, it's rising on him**_

**DEVONSHIRE MEWS, CAMBRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 5th 2010 – AFTERNOON**

Hermione hummed to herself as she checked the soup she was cooking. It looked like it would be ready in time for when Harry came over. She was trying hard not to stress about it but she did want the night to go well. She didn't want him thinking she was putting on a dinner party for him while at the same time she wanted to acknowledge his visit was something rare and special.

That and this whole night was going to be her attempt to apologize for being a prat the month before at Bones' party. Hermione was so happy Harry had been openly receptive to her wanting to make amends. Maybe in her head Harry could still be that sullen, moody teen she grew up with. It made her happy he seemed to have moved away from that.

Hermione only wished that she herself had been more mature that night. She really bollixed up her attempt at cheering Harry up! After doing so well she had to practically throw him under the Knight Bus. Regardless of the issues involved, Harry didn't deserve that. He hadn't pressured her, hadn't said anything really all that earth shattering when she calmed down enough to think clearly about that night. In fact, he had made a lot of good points.

Hermione looked out of her window to see the turrets of neighboring Cambridge University where she had spent so much of the last decade. Yes she had been insanely busy trying to catch up on her Muggle learning on top of trying to get her degree, but Harry might have been right. She was a traditional gal in many ways so why did she 'live in sin' with Ron for so long? Why had it been so important for her to get her degree first before marriage? It certainly had stressed the relationship even before Ron's wandering ways came to light.

After the whole Ron fiasco, was her three years of finding herself simply an excuse to run from her relationship (what ever it that might be) with Harry? He hadn't swooped in but had quietly been there when she needed him only to have her back away time and time again. Even worse was the thought she had somehow thought Ron would dump Lavender and come back to her on bended knee and renounce that house-wrecking witch! Was her being chosen over Lavender so important to her she'd have taken that prat back if he had honestly made the offer?

Hermione bit her lip and looked over to her curio cabinet. Her eyes fell onto a picture of her and Luna in the British Library foyer on the bench made to like huge chained book. It wasn't a magical one since most visitors to her home were Muggles. After Ron she had dated a lot of different guys but none of them were much more than a couple of dates and the very occasional one night stand. Almost all of her dates had been Muggles.

Before she had left for America, Luna had stopped by and after a night out (and a lot of wine) Hermione somehow found herself in the pretty blonde's arms. She hadn't been into girl-sex much back at Hogwarts as she had been more comfortable taking care of balancing her magical core through regular masturbation. Hermione still blushed at the memory of Sally finding her schedule she'd made to ensure 'maximum effect' of when to jill off. The girls of her year teased her about 'that list' till they graduated and even then it came up from time to time when they felt Hermione needed a tweak.

So except for a few times after some pirated Firewhiskey after a Quidditch win when she'd sometimes end up with drunken touchy-feely time with Sally and Lilith, Hermione had never had sex with a woman before Luna. It had been wonderful but not something she thought she'd want over being with a man. Although she had fantasized from time to time after that as she pleasured herself about what it would be like with a man and Luna.

Yet it wasn't her skill in the sexual arts (which were truly amazing!) but what she had said which really had shaken Hermione. Luna seemed to know all about Hermione's social life or lack of it. As they had laid together, basking in the warm after-glow of sex, Luna had pointed out to Hermione how she wasn't really living life but only going through the motions. Hermione remember how she had disagreed but Luna would have none of it. Luna had said how she was only renting happiness but never seemed to having any intention of buying. If Hermione wasn't going to let the idea of some permanence into her life, how could she say she was truly living?

After Luna had left the next day (after another wonderful bout of brilliant sex) Hermione had pondered her words. She liked her flat and had made it what she had thought was a nice home. Yet Luna was right, it was a rental after all. Even though she'd been there for years during her schooling and really hadn't thought much about moving ever after graduation, the option was always there to be able to pick up and move quickly. With some magic of her own or asking for some help from Dobby and Winky, Hermione could be out of her 'home' and be gone like she'd never been there in a matter of hours.

Hermione frowned. Even with this realization she hadn't done much but brood over it for the next few months before the night she had heard Ron let himself in with his old key. After that fight, she couldn't hide from the fact her life had really been on pause for a long time. So she had been very eager to try and change that the night of Susan's party. Then she went and made a total mess of the opportunity. Either she'd ruined a chance to explore her mixed feelings about Harry or she'd once again ignored new potential partners and had made a bee-line straight back to one of the Golden Trio. No matter how Hermione looked at it, she was disappointed in herself.

"_**Mwor**_!"

Hermione looked over to the window where Athena was sunning herself. The kneazle was looking at her intently.

Hermione smiled, "I know girl; my face is going to freeze like this if I'm not careful." Her pet really knew how to read her and knew when she was bothered by something. She was good at drawing Hermione out of long bouts of doing nothing but thinking or more aptly brooding. Hermione's own words made her remember how Harry had said the same thing that night.

Like Athena, Harry had always been able to read her. Why did that bother her? Was she so much of a control freak she didn't like having someone who seemed to have a key into her soul and was able to walk in any time he liked? Isn't that what a good partner was supposed to have? She thought so but still it bothered her. For all the times she despaired at Ron's lack of empathy, Hermione had been comforted how she could hide from Ron as needed.

Hermione bit her lip. She hadn't really thought about Ron and Harry in that light before and it made her realize she seemed comforted by the thought she could always get away with lying to Ron. It didn't make her feel any better about herself. After supposedly going through all those years of soul-searching to find the real Hermione Granger it was looking like the one she thought she had found was just a fake after all.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her doorbell ringing. This surprised her although she was pretty sure it would be someone from the college taking a survey for a class or raising money for some cause. It was a rather common thing when one lived in the shadow of one of the world's most prestigious universities. Hopefully she could get rid of them before Harry flooed in. While certified, Hermione hated obliviating people.

As she opened the door Hermione was surprised to be greeted with flowers. Harry stood there in a smartly tailored if tad rumpled suit. While not dressed to the thrill, Hermione saw he could easily stand up in Parliament and not be underdressed. She stared at the flowers in his hand, a collection of red and pink carnations with a sprinkling of jonquil. Her mind immediately read out the Victorian message of _my heart aches for you_, _always on my mind_ and _return my affection_. Did Harry know florigraphy? Had Harry gotten these flowers from Neville and he was the one sending a message he thought Harry wanted to send? Or had Harry just dropped into a florist on the way here and just like the look of those flowers?

"I doubt after all the years in Herbology you are afraid of flowers so I need to ask, are you going to let me in?" Harry said with a gentle smile after a long moment.

Hermione blushed, "I'm sorry Harry; I wasn't expecting you." Harry titled his head a bit at this so she went on, "Well I was expecting you but I didn't expect you to show up at the door. I thought you'd come by floo. I don't think I've ever had any witch or wizard come to the door before."

Hermione watched as Harry just smiled at here before she realized they were still standing in the doorway. "Oh bother! Come in! Come in!"

Hermione watched as Harry took in her place. He hadn't been here for over two years and she had gone through a few different decorating phases since then. She got a vase from the cupboard and put the flowers on the kitchen table.

Harry shrugged of his rumpled jacket and pulled out his wand, "Do you mind?" He asked with a glance over to Hermione. Seeing her shake her head he gave his wand a flourish and in a puff of steam and heat he cleaned and pressed his jacket before hanging it up.

"Sorry but I've found it's best to do that after I've been in the car awhile. Since I'm still doing most of my own cleaning it saves time down the road." Harry said in way of explanation.

Hermione's eyebrows rose in surprised. "You drove here? I thought you had moved into the Potter Manor two weeks ago. Plus, why are you doing your own cleaning? Are Dobby and Winky alright?"

Harry shrugged, "Well I'm in London for some business so I drove from there. Actually on a day like this I wouldn't mind driving down from York. It is nice, however, to have Grimmauld Place if only to keep a car there for trips like this."

Hermione nodded; it was the sort of day for a nice drive with the top down. She knew Harry was sort of addicted to having the wind whip through his hair. Since he rarely got to play Quidditch anymore the only flying he did was on his own which he could only do in certain restricted areas. To make up for that Harry had Sirius' old motorcycle repaired and was known to drive around the Continent when he needed a week off from the press of business.

Harry sat down on the couch before continuing, "As for the cleaning, Winky is pregnant and I've found pregnant elves go from their normal do every bit of work they can mode to doing almost nothing. I don't mind but Dobby does have his hands full with the grounds at Potter Manor right now as well as making sure Grimmauld Place is okay since I'm still there a lot."

Hermione beamed, "That's wonderful, Harry! I didn't know the two had bonded."

Harry snorted, "Well it took Winky awhile to get over Dobby's weirdness. However after a few years of seeing him working for me mostly as a 'proper elf' should, she finally felt he'd be a good mate. They seem really happy. I just wish they'd quit going on about how the new baby will be able to help out when it is older. They should be happy for the baby and not believe I'm happy for them simply because they are providing more help eventually."

Hermione nodded, "I bet you've mentioned that quite a few times to no avail."

Harry laughed, "A bet you'd win. What are you cooking? It smells wonderful!"

Hermione couldn't help but say a bit crossly, "You don't have to say it like you are surprised. I have been cooking for myself since I left Hogwarts!"

Harry raised his hands in surrender, "Hey I didn't mean to sound like I did. I just never really saw you as much of a cook. While you were brilliant at it like everything else you do, I never got the impression you liked potions that much. I've noticed people who enjoy it tend to be good cooks."

Hermione looked mollified, "Well Snape didn't make the subject very appealing."

Harry nodded, "I agree. It's a good thing I seemed to have some of my mum's potion-making genes or I'm sure I never would have made it past First Year with that greasy git."

Hermione frowned, "Not to nag but how about we talk about pleasant things? Snape isn't something I'd dare say is good for the digestion."

Harry laughed, "Well said! I'd rather not ruin what really smells good. So what are we...oops I see the mistress of the house has deigned to appear."

Hermione chuckled as she turned to see Athena regally walk up to Harry before turning and arching her back as if to say, "Pet Me Mortal!"

Harry chuckled as well as he began to give the kneazle a good petting. "I really should think about getting a pet. Hedwig really doesn't count. Since Potter Manor has some nice grounds I've been thinking of getting a dog. Something big enough to throw a Frisbee to."

Hermione smiled warmly, "If he had lived, I wonder if Sirius would have joined in?" She instantly regretted saying it. Sirius was a subject of which Harry still often felt guilty about.

Surprisingly Harry laughed, "Oh I'm sure Sirius would have been all over it. Of course I'm not sure I'd trust a Frisbee brought back by a Marauder!"

Hermione laughed as well, "Yeah...I could see the prank opportunities in that. So, what has the Earl of Yorkshire been up to of late?"

Harry looked away, "Well I finally got off my butt and packed up all of Ginny's old things. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them but it isn't like I don't have room in Grimmauld Place for a few boxes. I don't know, maybe in a few centuries or so they'll be priceless artifacts to the life and times of the Boy-Who-Lived."

Hermione was surprised by this. Harry obviously was being sarcastic but there was a bit of seriousness as well. Almost as if he'd come to terms that no matter what happened he would always be a famous person. For some reason she never felt Harry would finally break down and accept this.

"Well then I guess I had better get to writing my memoirs of our time together. We could put it all together in some sort of time capsule for the Goblins to release in a century or so." Hermione said in what she hoped was a light and joking manner.

Thankfully Harry beamed, "Smashing plan! Of course I have been trying not to shove off unpleasant duties onto the Goblins. They really deserve better than just doing what we Magicals don't have the guts for." Harry frowned at seeing the look on her face. "Hold up Hermione, I wasn't saying you meant that in any way. Sorry, I guess I'm sensitive about the issue with all the times Ginny was on me for not letting the Goblins run my businesses."

Hermione smiled warmly; she didn't want a row, "No worries Harry; I sort of gathered that. I don't mean to be forward but did Ginny owl or did you just decide it's over and it was time for you to move on? I still haven't gotten an owl from her. I owled her about two days after Susan's party. After talking to you I thought I'd just send a letter asking how she's doing. I figured maybe she'd talk to me. So far no reply yet."

Harry eyes clouded over a bit, "No, no I haven't. From what I've seen in the Prophet I'm not really expecting anything." Harry hesitated and looked away, "Even though our last night out together didn't end well, I got to thinking that it would be very hypocritical of me to accuse you of running in place when I was sort of doing the same thing."

Hermione frowned, "What do you mean?"

Harry continued to scratch Athena a bit before going on, "Well like I said that night it isn't that I was completely shocked when I saw Ginny had left as she did. I think I had known for awhile something like this was coming. In fact Luna once pointed out that I hadn't really been with Ginny for a long time…if ever."

Hermione smiled mischievously, "Luna huh? She does have a way of getting you to think doesn't she?" Hermione thought back to her own 'lesson' with the blonde and felt herself flush a bit. She was surprised to see Harry seem to be a bit embarrassed and flushed himself. Could Luna have done the same thing to Harry she had done to her before she left for America? She never thought Harry would stray but Luna was Luna and the blonde witch could make doing the oddest things seem normal and proper.

Harry cleared his throat a bit nervously, "Yeah well Luna got me thinking about Ginny. I do love her. I love her laugh, I love her smile. I love seeing the sunlight in her hair when we were together on brooms. I love her stubbornness and inner strength. There are a lot of reasons why I fell in love with her."

Hermione kept still as she was a bit shocked by this. Was Harry actually considering trying to win Ginny back?

Harry seemed to sense her thoughts, "Don't worry, Hermione; I know how that sounds. But let me ask you this; even if Ginny has dumped me, will you stop being her friend?"

Hermione thought about that. Ginny was a good friend even if they hadn't seen much of each other in the last six months. There was a time when it was her and Ginny against the world. It was the two of them laughing and giggling as they danced at some of the finer Magical clubs in the UK. They had done this quite often years ago when Ron was off with the Canons and Harry was busy setting up his charities. How they'd posture and pose to the guys since they knew they were both 'taken' so they could flirt shamelessly and get away with it. She thought of all the times Ginny would drag her shopping which Ginny loved as if it was a sport. A sport she played with a will and one which Hermione secretly liked to play as well. The hours trying on different outfits, giggling over the looks their men folk would get on their faces when they finally saw them.

She looked up to see Harry nodding at her. "You see? Yes, Ginny is being a prat but we still love her. Of course it isn't like she's pulling a Ron. Ginny's just going after what I couldn't give her. While I wish she'd been more of a Gryffindor and had come out and broken up with me, I can't even fault her for that. I mean I am Harry "Emo McBroodypants" Potter after all. Maybe she just couldn't bear to see my face thinking I'd go to pieces like I might of once. Beyond that she's still Ginny; a witch we both love."

Hermione bit her lip, "I don't know Harry, she hurt you…"

Harry waved his hand dismissively which caused Athena to give a growl as if to say, 'I did not give you permission to stop petting me!' She jumped into Harry's lap and pushed her head against his hand to show Harry exactly what she wanted. "Sorry Athena. No, Hermione, it doesn't matter about what Ginny did to me. We need to deal with it. I don't want all my friends feeling the need to make a choice between the two of us. This is as much my fault as it is hers. I've known we've had problems but I just passively accept it. If anything, that's your fault."

Hermione blinked in surprise, "My fault? How?"

Harry smiled to show he wasn't being harsh, "Come on Hermione, from almost the moment we became friends you charted out what we did, how we did it and chided Ron and I to remain on schedule. You're brilliant at that sort of thing and I doubt I would have gotten anywhere near where I am today without you. Unfortunately I think Luna was spot on for pointing out how I got far too used to having you do my thinking for me." Again Harry seem to color a bit at them mention of Luna.

Even so Harry pressed on, "I've thought about it a lot recently. I had to learn everything pretty much from scratch when it came to my businesses and charities. I'm on top of that. Even my secretary Penelope is amazed at how rare it is I forget about things. Too bad that for everything else in my life it still seems like I'm waiting for you to show up with one of your lists to help me chart a course."

Hermione sat quietly processing this. Thinking back one couldn't deny the Golden Trio had marched to a tune she set.

Again Harry seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, "I wish it wasn't just about me but I think you are just as affected by those days as me. You're rudderless now."

Hermione's head jerked up, "What do you mean?"

Harry's green eyes seem to look into her very soul, "What are your plans for your life?"

"I don't understand?" Hermione stammered. For some reason Harry's gaze made her think of the glimpse she had of the basilisk's eyes before she'd been petrified.

"I mean what does Hermione Jane Granger expect out of life? Tell me, Ms. Granger, what you does life list say? You've always been so good about lists being the Virgo that you are. So tell me; what now? You've graduated, so you've got both your magical and Muggle degrees but you have yet to do anything with them. You've written a few white papers but for the most part you've been quiet. That's not the Hermione Granger I grew up with." Harry said chidingly.

Hermione flushed, "I'm weighing my options! I'm not about to jump into a career without some careful thought."

Harry's face fell into his familiar lop-sided grin, "Bollocks! You've had years to plan! Plus the Hermione I know so well wouldn't just pick a degree field for nor reason. No, she'd have a plan for what to use it for. So how about letting in a friend in on your plans?"

"Harry!" Hermione was astonished at him! Where was this coming from?

Harry went on as she hadn't spoke, "See? You're flustered because you don't have an answer! When does the great Hermione Granger not have an answer? I'll tell you why; you got so used to running my life, which kept me alive I might add, that you don't have a clue what to do with your own life now that you are making decisions for just you! Growing up we spent so much time working on mysteries and plots we could have given the Scooby Doo gang a run for their money!"

Harry suddenly grinned, "Although Sirius probably would be offended to be thought of as Scooby, I think we both know Ron fits Shaggy pretty well."

Hermione's mouth dropped open as she stared at Harry for a moment before breaking into a fit of giggles. What was so funny was Harry wasn't the first person to make that comparison to her. Katie had joked once about how Hermione needed to work on being more of a Daphne than a Velma especially since she had 'cleaned up so nicely' at the Yule Ball.

Harry continued to smirk at her while she tried to get herself under control. "In you own words, Honestly Hermione, during our time in Hogwarts you were focused on the opera which was my life. Almost everything you did revolved around me and the fight against Voldemort. When it was all over I know I didn't know what to do with myself. It took me a long time to admit it but I never expected to defeat Voldemort and come out alive in the process. I always thought even if I won I'd probably die as well. I mean after watching the duel in the Department of Mysteries between Dumbledore and Voldemort it didn't make me feel confident of surviving my own fight with the Dark Wanker. So when it was all over…well I didn't know what to do. I hadn't thought about what I was going to do after the War because deep down I didn't think there was a need to plan for a future I wasn't going to have."

Hermione's heart felt as if it was being squeezed at the haunted look which had come over Harry's face, "Harry, I…"

Harry cut her off, "No Hermione, I'm alright. Like I said, it took me awhile to realize that after the War I simply coasted. I ended up with Ginny because it was easy and I didn't fight it. I was like water flowing to the lowest point. It wasn't till I got into learning about my responsibilities to my Houses and learning about finance did I start to wake up and start thinking about the future. Even then I've come to realize my charities were focused on helping other people work towards building a better future for themselves as if I wasn't going to be there as well."

Hermione almost gasped as Harry's gaze went from friendly to piercing. She never got use to how intense he could be. "Listen Hermione before she left Luna tried to teach me a lesson. While I processed it, I ignored it because I wasn't ready yet to open myself to what she was trying to tell me. I know that now. I'm not trying to start a row, especially right before dinner. I do want you to think about this though. Why haven't you even got a job lined up?"

Hermione couldn't help but fold her arms across her chest as she hotly retorted, "How do you know I haven't, Lord Potter?"

Harry's intensity dropped as his face fell back into his lop-sided grin, "Because I'm Harry Bloody Potter that's why! I have sources you'd be surprised at. Hell even Susan and Daphne have both remarked about it at different times. Come on Hermione, you may not be as famous as me but people in the know realize all too well how important you were in Voldemort's defeat. A lot of people have been watching to see where you end up. Most of them are doing so because they want you on their team."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something. What is was she suddenly didn't know. In fact she was confused. While she had some vague ideas of what she was going to do once she graduated, that time had come and now months later she was still finishing up some scholarly papers which she hadn't finished by the time she had graduated. On quick reflection she realized Harry was absolutely right. She didn't have a plan. She always had had a plan. Had she been waiting for something to happen?

Or maybe she had been waiting for someone?

Harry just watched her and continued to pet Athena as she just shut her mouth without saying anything. Finally she said, "Okay I concede some of your points. However I'm not about to think it has anything to do with you. The world doesn't revolve around you, Harry Potter!"

Far from being angry at the terseness in her tone, Harry laughed. "That is something I've been trying to get people to understand for years. Well I say we should table this discussion till after dinner. It looks like you put your usually brilliant effort into everything you do and I'm sure dinner will not be an exception. I for one want to enjoy it. We have plenty of time for to continue this discussion and get in some good tongue-lashing after dinner."

Hermione nodded and got up to go check on dinner. Inside her mind, however, she was seething with thoughts and feelings. Maybe during idle conversation over dinner she could process all the conflicting thoughts she was having. Especially why had she felt so funny at Harry's comment about a good tongue-lashing?

Hermione shook her head as she checked on the soup wondering why it seemed she could hear Luna laughing at her.

**XxXxX**

**A/N**: My original note crowed about how the next chapter was going to be my last. Let that be a lesson to new writers: your characters speak with their own voices and often they chat a lot longer than you expect them to. Don't be afraid to let them.

**British Library**: If you ever get a chance to go, go. My wife and I found it more interesting than the British History Museum where we saw a lot of signs mentioned how the items had been generously donated. We couldn't help but wonder how "generously" the artifacts had actually been donated. I mean I'd be generous too faced with a bunch of red-coats at bayonet point! At the Library, however, you get to see the Magna Carta and other pieces of original literature…not to mention sitting on a bench crafted to look like a book chained to the floor!

**Florigraphy**: From Wikipedia: "_The language of flowers, sometimes called florigraphy, was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken._" Interesting the properties of the plants Snape mentions in Harry's first class are sending Harry a message. Asphodel means 'Lily' while wormwood means grief or bitterness. Later, monkshood means "Beware a deadly foe is nearby" while wolfsbane means 'self-hatred' and aconite listed as misanthropy (generally hatred of people) I think shows Snape is saying (in a backward fashion) he is sorry/bitter about Lily's death, warning Harry and doesn't like himself as well as having a dim view of mankind in general. Whether or not JKR meant that I don't know but it's rather suspicious isn't it?

**Luna's Comments**: For Dido fans these are obviously from the song _Life For Rent_.

**Scooby Doo**: For all you Americans who might not think Harry would use this analogy, the fact Eddie Izzard has a whole routine about them shows they are well known in England and in Europe.


	5. I Never Got A Chance

**Ginny's In India Now– NC-17/MA for Sexual Content & Adult Situations **

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: **_It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion._

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND: **This is a AU take on JKR's writings It is not canonical but is more in line with my other published work. It is also a song-fic based on Dido's _Mary's In India_.

**CHAPTER SPECIFIC WARNINGS**: If you haven't noticed it yet but this fic contains explicit sex! (Horrors!) You've been warned!

**CHAPTER FIVE – I NEVER GOT A CHANCE**

_And we danced and we drank, and I've seen some things_

_You probably never got a chance to see_

**DEVONSHIRE MEWS, CAMBRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 5****th** **2010** **– EVENING**

Dinner had been eaten, the dishes put away and now came the comfortable after-dinner coffee stage. Hermione was grateful to have gotten this far without another replay of the fight which caused her to have Harry over to apologize to in the first place. She was also happy their dinner conversation had been on mundane issues which allowed her to be on auto-pilot while she mulled over what Harry had said to her earlier.

She was just so torn! So much of what Harry had said earlier in the day and previously at Susan's party rang true. His words dove-tailed with some of the things Luna had said to her as well. Yet she still found herself resenting a lot of the implications. Harry seemed to think she couldn't even live her own life unless she was managing his in some way. He had pretty plainly much implied he though she was single because she either was pining for Ron or maybe waiting for him.

That topic brought on another internal fight. There was a part of her who wanted Harry and had always wanted Harry. However Hermione had seen early on how he never really noticed her other than as his good friend except on rare occasions like the night of the Yule Ball. While some of his points seemed true about her pushing Harry away, Hermione thought he neglected to mention the multitude of times when it would have only taken a word from him to have given her more of a green light to step up their relationship. So it was hypocritical of him to accuse her like she was the only guilty party in it all.

As she blew on her coffee she watched Harry looking at the titles of some of her books on one of the many bookshelves in her home. Hermione couldn't help but resent the idea that somehow since she wasn't with Ron meant it was inevitable that she'd have to end up with Harry. There will literally billions of other men on the planet and she didn't like the fact both Harry and many of her friends all seemed to feel she and Harry were made for each other. This had always angered her. It was like her friends didn't think she could find someone new outside the Golden Trio. Worse was how she knew some thought she was too thick to know she supposedly had always been Harry's.

It didn't help that Harry had never married Ginny and now that wouldn't happen as well. She had already heard a few twitters from her friends about it as it was becoming increasingly obvious that something major had happened between Harry and Ginny. Even Daphne had remarked on it when they had bumped into each other recently when Hermione was presenting one of her white papers regarding Magical/Muggle relations.

Thinking about the beautiful blonde got Hermione thinking. Some of the things Daphne had said reminded Hermione how she was one of the few that Harry had considered dating. If he was going to pursue that well then it was another nail in the 'inevitable Hermione Jane Potter' crap Sally and Lilith had been teasing her a lot lately via email on the subject. She loved her friends but again she resented everyone thinking she was destined for Harry. Honestly! Did everyone forget the reason they spent so much time together was because they were fighting Voldemort in one form or another almost their entire time at Hogwarts?

"So I ran into Daphne the other day. I can see why you'd be interested in her. I know you are not one to just go on looks alone, Cho Chang notwithstanding, but she is quite stunning. I thought she was pretty back at school but I think she could give Fleur a run for her money even without an aura." Hermione said before taking a sip of her coffee.

Harry kept looking at her books. "I agree. I find it weird how I can deal with Fleur or Gabrielle's aura and not turn into a drooling idiot around them but sometimes when I'm talking to Daphne I find myself talking to her breasts."

Hermione chuckled at this, "I'm sure Daphne's breasts appreciate the attention."

Harry turned and went back to his seat on the couch. He had a sheepish look on his face. "Oh she's been pretty good about it. Of course there was the one time when I didn't realizing I was doing it and so she jiggled her breasts and said, 'Girls, girls wake up; Harry's talking to you!' I was so embarrassed! It didn't help Tracey was there."

Again Hermione chuckled at that image. "I do hope you know what color her eyes are."

"Oh don't worry; Tracey's already tried that one on me. While she doesn't have Luna's eyes, Daphne does have really pretty blue ones." Harry said earnestly.

"So…have you gone on a date yet? Daphne said something about how you to might go out for a show after some meeting you both had to go to." Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, "Yeah. We both had this big conference to go to in New York City. I'm glad they've gotten the kinks out of the Trans-Atlantic Portkey because I really don't like tele-conferencing. You can't hit the sights later. We caught a showing of _Spamalot _which we both thought was brilliant. I was really surprised to find out Daphne was a Monty Python fan. Who would have guessed the infamous 'Ice Queen of Slytherin' would be so into Muggle humor?"

Hermione laughed, "I take it the date went well then?"

Harry smirked, "A gentleman never tells."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

Harry waggled his own eyebrows comically, "Really!"

Hermione still was of two minds on what to think. She was happy for Harry since he really needed to expand his horizons since he'd only been with Ginny and deserved to have some fun. Yet she had to admit there was a part of her that was snarling with jealousy. She bit down on that part because she knew it might not have anything to do with Harry but just her own feelings of feeling plain next to the dazzling Slytherin. She _**was**_ gorgeous. Ever since her time with Luna she had been a bit more open at looking at other women in a sexual sense and Hermione had to admit one couldn't look at Daphne and not wonder how she'd be in bed.

Not that she'd ever admit that to anyone. Hermione knew she'd barely been able to admit it to herself! "Good! I'm glad you're branching out. I mean I think the _Man-Who-Conquered_ deserves more than just Ginny. Even if you had to wait till you were 30 before you had your second partner."

Harry didn't look up from stirring some treacle into his coffee, "Oh Daphne wasn't my second partner. That was Luna."

"So she did sleep with you like she did with…" Hermione stopped herself before she said anything more.

Unfortunately Harry looked up and his eyes locked onto hers. It was obvious to Hermione that Harry didn't need legimency to know what she had almost said. "Ah I see I wasn't the only one she played 'Professor Lovegood' to! Well I hope you learned your lesson from her better than I did mine."

Hermione blushed and tried to cover it by taking a drink of her coffee.

She finally looked up to see Harry looking at her kindly, "Hermione…there is nothing to be ashamed of. Luna does what Luna does. If she was half as brilliant with you as she was with me then I'm betting you had the time of your life. Besides, if you two hooked up when I think you probably did it wasn't like you were in a relationship like I was at the time."

Hermione almost gasped, "You had sex with Luna while you were still with Ginny? I thought you might have done it when you were in the States. I mean you were in America about two weeks prior to Susan's party if I remember right from what the Prophet printed."

Harry shrugged. He didn't seem bothered by the fact he had admitted to being unfaithful to Ginny. "No. It was actually the night of that party back in '07 after you and I had our fight. I was feeling miserable and Ginny was off being the center of attention. Luna took me out to the Guest House and taught me quite a few things. Sadly I wasn't ready for what she was trying to teach me. Regardless the sex was easily the most brilliant I ever had."

Hermione couldn't help but ask, "Even over Daphne?"

Harry frowned and made a dismissive gesture, "You can't compare Luna to Daphne. They come at sex so differently. Also Luna and I have a lot more going into it emotionally than Daphne and I. Nothing against Daphne mind you; it's just…well come on! I've known Luna since I was fifteen!"

Again the divide in her began yelling. Here was another witch Harry could end up with which would quiet all the comments about the two of them. It was also another witch who could be a competitor. "Have you ever thought about you and Luna getting together?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, "Of course I have. She's beautiful, she's kind and moreover she has always been there for me. Whenever I'm in a dark place she's always there to lead me out of into the light."

Hermione blinked at this and this time it was the part of her that felt a certain 'ownership' of Harry which welled up with jealousy. She had always felt it had been her who had done that for Harry. Hermione bit her lip as she watched Harry reach out and pour some more coffee from the carafe on the table. She had to admit to herself, however, she wasn't surprised that Luna had done this for Harry. Luna sort of did it for everyone she met.

Harry looked back up at Hermione, "When we had that one night of sex, she even wanted more but refrained. She did say if things didn't work out in her life she was seriously thinking about trying to get a consort bond with me. From what she said that night it seems quite a few people have said it would be a good match for her."

"What did you think?" Hermione asked softly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Harry gave a humorless laugh, "What else could I think? I was blown away by it! Maybe to pureblood raised witches like Luna it means something very different but to me it was like she was saying she wanted to marry me! I was honored and terrified by the idea. Of course even though they were childhood friends I just knew somehow that Ginny would erupt at even bringing it up. It is funny about that. I mean Ginny knew I wanted kids so you'd think she'd have been open to someone like Luna being my consort. I'd get the kids I wanted, Luna or whoever would get their heir and Ginny could have been Lady Potter with all the fame and adulation which would come with it."

Hermione sighed, "I think Ginny's to selfish to share the limelight with anyone. Even with someone like Luna. She's my friend and all but she does like being the center of attention. I agree with your reasoning but by taking a consort would mean taking attention away from her."

Harry nodded sadly, "Yeah…I pretty much think that as well. At first I felt all of this was my fault but I'm coming to realize how Ginny could have been more honest about things a lot earlier. Anyway in regards to Luna I will say I was very sorry she was in America when I found Ginny left. Although…I don't know. I also don't think it would be wise just to have jumped at her no matter how much I like her the minute I was single."

Hermione nodded, "That and she's in a relationship right now."

Harry shook his head, "Is she? I'm not so sure. Her letters of late seemed a bit fake. A bit like she's forcing the cheer. I can't be positive but that's the way it feels to me. Of course reading Luna is difficult when she's right in front of you. Trying to do it via parchment is worse."

Hermione frowned, "Hmm…now that you mention it I sort of had that vibe from her last two letters as well." She shook her head, "So with Lady Lovegood off in the Colonies does this mean more thrilling adventures for the Lady Greengrass?"

Harry laughed, "Well she's not Lady Greengrass yet although it is easy to think that. After all the pressure put on them during both Voldemort Wars it seems Daphne's parents have decided to go on one long, extended vacation. That and Astoria being busy with the new baby means she has even less help."

"Poor girl," Hermione said thinking how she had married Draco.

Harry shrugged, "Oh don't say that. Draco's gotten a lot better. Having his dad get the Kiss right after the war proved to him how quickly the mighty can fall. It also didn't help his ego when I smacked him down hard after the first time he gave me some lip after the War. I reminded him the only reason his mother hadn't gotten the Kiss like Lucius was because she helped me after Voldemort hit me with that AK. That and she was a Black and I knew Sirius had felt sorry for her. So in his memory I gave her another chance. I'm glad I did since she and Andromeda have been a big help with getting House Black back in order."

Hermione shook her head at what she imagined Draco's face must have looked like when Harry was explaining the facts of the new world order to him. "What is he doing these days?"

Harry smiled evilly, "He's sort of working for me."

"What?" Hermione all but shrieked. "I didn't think that was possible with the Potter Curse and all!"

"He couldn't if he was still a Malfoy. I legally and retroactively broke Narcissa's marriage to Lucius on the grounds of him becoming a Death Eater invalidated the marriage contract which had been drawn up between House Malfoy and Black. Then I pointed out how I was the only thing keeping him from the Kiss as well. Even though he didn't murder Dumbledore, he did let Death Eaters into the castle which led to the Headmaster's death. Or the fact if it hadn't been for me both Katie and Ron would have died back in Sixth Year due to his actions. So I gave him a choice, die like a Malfoy or renounce his line and become a Black and even then I would have to approve or disprove him marrying in that line."

Hermione's eyes were wide, "You took down House Malfoy completely? How the hell did I miss that?"

Harry grinned, "Well amazingly enough we have kept it rather quiet. I really leaned on the Prophet on this. I told them how historically House Black took gossip about them very poorly and I intended to _vigorously_ keep up that noble tradition. So other than some small notices, most people still haven't twigged to the fact yet. The Quibbler played ball well enough as well although that was never in doubt. Hell I'm surprised you didn't catch it when Astoria gave birth. Didn't you notice the name in the announcement?"

Hermione's brows furrowed in concentration. "Well I felt bad for the kid to be stuck with a name like Hyperion. I mean who names their kid that? You might as well tag him with something like Sheldon or Hugo…wait! The announcement said the birth of Hyperion Greengrass! You mean…?"

Harry nodded, "Yup, he's now simply Draco Greengrass. You might not recognize him now since with House Malfoy finally destroyed and the Curse lifted, his hair is now as black as mine. Not a surprise since I've been told my hair probably came down via Dorea Black in the first place. Anyway he actually seems happy with what he's doing now."

Hermione looked puzzled, "What is that? I'm having a hard time imagining Draco of all people punching a clock."

Harry shook his head, "No matter what you might think of him, he did pick up a few things from his mum. Astoria and I have him working as one of the business liaisons between our families. He mostly deals with shipping stuff coming out of my breweries. For all his old pureblood snobbery, Draco's taken to Muggle beer with a will! Also Astoria tells me he's trying to be a better dad to Hyperion than Lucius ever was to him."

Hermione shook her own head in amazement over this. She really couldn't believe she had missed something this major! It did, however, get some wheels turning in her head. "So Harry…how does this impact you and Daphne? You said at Susan's party about how you thought Daphne might want to become Lady Peverell. With Draco having to become a Greengrass means their son Hyperion can be the Greengrass heir. So that leaves Daphne free to become Lady Peverell."

Harry looked thoughtful, "Or Lady Black. With Zacharias dying of Dragonpox like he did does make Jacob the only male heir to House Smith even with him being a bastard."

Hermione snorted, "Well they still haven't changed that bit of snobbery! Nothing against Jacob since he's such a dear but you have to wonder what Rebecca thinks about having her brother's child take precedence over her. It is terrible how witches still cannot hold title to their houses! They're the ones who bear the heir in the first place!"

Harry simply smiled at her. Seeing this Hermione realized she was about to go off on one of her rants; a rant she'd done many times before. "Sorry, preaching to choir I know."

Harry laughed, "Indeed! Anyway if Jacob takes up that mantle, which I think he should, it does leave House Black without an heir. Quite a few people have pointed out to me recently how Sally has been a bit chummier with Neville of late. If she becomes Lady Longbottom that leaves it up to me to produce an heir for House Black."

"So what do think you're going to do?" Hermione asked. For once she was just curious about his answer.

Harry looked into Hermione's eyes. In a flash it seemed Harry had turned his 'intensity' mode back on and Hermione felt the breath catch in her throat. "Right now I'm a bit more concerned about finding myself a Lady Potter than worrying about my other houses.

Hermione blinked at this and found her mouth suddenly dry. She took a quick sip from her coffee to cover her sudden confusion. What was wrong with her today? It was like there were two of her and either one or the other had control or both were fighting which left her feeling like she didn't know which way was up. Why had Harry's words surprised her? He had said as much back at Susan's party.

Yet she hadn't spent most of the last 19 years in school without developing the ability to work under pressure. So she fought the conflicted emotions welling up in her and composed herself. She put her cup down on the table and tried to affect an attitude of interest but also of indifference. "Any potential Lady Potters on the horizon?"

Harry smiled tightly at her. "Potentials? No. Candidate? Yes and that would be you of course."

Hermione just stared at Harry. On one hand she knew he was going to say this. Yet the other hand was shocked that he had in so many words just asked her to marry him. Him…Harry Potter wanted her to be his wife. Even more so was the common idea that whoever was Lady Potter would be the prime wife over any Lady Black or Peverell and certainly over any consorts like a potential Lady Lovegood or Gabrielle Delacour.

Harry suddenly stood and went over to his jacket and pulled out an iPod. He went over to a shelf and put it into the radio/iPod player Hermione had there. He then turned to her with an utterly serious look on his face. "You've made it very plain you see a relationship with me, even a simple dating one, as impossible because you feel like there is all this pressure for us to be together. I think your problem is about perception. You don't like feeling that this is about the two of us doing what is expected rather than us being together because we love each other. Trust me on this, Hermione. I know exactly how you feel since I've had to deal with the expectations of being the Boy-Who-Lived thrust upon me most of my life."

Harry face softened, "Hermione I've done a lot of thinking about you and Ron because I never could understand what you saw in him. Not because of what we know now but just in general. While I know opposites often attract, there was so little there to work with. Not to sound immodest but I think you settled on Ron because you didn't think you could have me. This thought makes me sad on so many levels because there were so many blokes who would have loved to have you on their arm back in the day. I know Anthony, Ernie and Neville were interested in you but you never seemed interested in any bloke outside of Ron and me."

Seeing Hermione's face flush (whether with anger or embarrassment wasn't clear) Harry held up his hand, "I'm not accusing you of anything Hermione; I'm just making a statement of what I saw and how I am trying to rationalize it. If you think I'm being down on you then remember I did the same thing. I settled with Ginny because I couldn't have you. Regardless of all the stress of the war, I didn't even take the time to see if there were other girls out there that didn't see me as the legend. Worse, I went right back to a supposed recovered Boy-Who-Lived junkie. So don't think I am looking down on what you did because I did far worst. Maybe you felt you couldn't get someone better or maybe you didn't want to jeopardize our friendship by having a go at dating. I just did nothing and let Ginny lead me where she wanted to go."

Harry paused and seemed to be waiting to see if she was going to say anything. Hermione just looked at him. For once her internal voices were quiet. She somehow senses this was a critical cusp; a point of decision where maybe, after all these years her conflicting desires would be settled once and for all.

Harry made a sweeping gesture, "Hermione, we've both said our piece on this subject. We've danced around it and danced around it. Ever since I met you that day on the train nineteen years ago I've had mixed feelings about you and I'm guessing you've had the same about me. We'll were both adults now and I hope that we can at least take a chance and see if there is more here than just our friendship. So, I challenge you to a simple test. If you accept and we find there is nothing there other than friendship then I will say no more on the subject unless you bring it up. Furthermore I will do everything I can to help stop people from hounding you about this whole thing."

Hermione's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What sort of test?"

Harry smiled his lop-sided grin and Hermione couldn't help but feel the butterflies erupt in her stomach as they had so many times before, "I'm not going to tell you. The Sorting Hat put you into Gryffindor for a reason, Hermione. You've faced death with an air of determination and defiance; I would hope you could face a simple test to see whether or not you love somebody a certain way or not."

Again the conflicting selves inside her shifted. Regardless of the butterflies, she stood and her face settled into a mask of indifference, "Very well, Lord Potter-Peverell-Black, I shall accept this challenge sight unseen. I warn you that I stand by what I said back at Susan's party. I'm not about to fall for you simply because you asked while you are obviously on the rebound from Ginny."

Harry bowed his head slightly as he pulled out is wand. With a flick, the furniture silently moved against the walls and cleared a large space. "Fair enough…in fact more than fair. I feel that I need to warn you that I think our feelings have been within us for a long time but neither of us had the courage to act upon them. We were thinking of others and not of ourselves. I'm tired of living my life on the basis of what I think others think of me."

It was hard for Hermione not to flinch at these words. She couldn't help but think about some of the things Luna had said as they had lain together and talked of matters of the heart. Luna had accused her of letting others rule her because she let others views and opinions decide much of her actions. Luna had asked what sort of Gryffindor was it that did not have the courage to do what she wanted to do and hang the reactions of others?

Hermione sighed, "Alright Harry…what is this test?"

Harry just stared into her eyes for a moment; an odd look on his face. One which made Hermione feel like he was looking into the past. He then smiled warmly and reached back to turn on the iPod. He then moved towards her with the grace she had marveled at back at Susan's party. She was surprised as he took her into his arms as if to dance as the music came on.

That music! Her eyes widened and it took almost all she had not to have her jaw drop and run from the room. Harry was playing the same song they had danced to those many long years ago in the tent. The dance Harry had done to cheer her up when Ron had abandoned them. The dance where she had almost thrown caution to the winds and kissed him. A night she knew would have ended up in a bout of heated, passionate sex if she had kissed him. A night she turned away from…all because it was the proper thing to do! Hadn't it?

**OoOoO**

Harry felt his face slip into the grin he knew he was so well known for. He could feel the internal fight going on in Hermione. The tenseness and the tenderness, the love and the confusion. Harry couldn't help but chuckle internally. Poor Hermione; she was trapped in expectations of what she should do just as much as he always had been. She couldn't escape by herself. She was trapped between what she wanted and how she wanted to be seen. She just couldn't choose between the two.

Harry danced her slowly around the room. He breathed in that special smell that was could be nothing other than Hermione. Strange how it had been over a decade since their first dance in the tent and yet she still smelled just like he remembered. Harry hadn't consciously realized it until Susan's party but that smell had been with him ever since that night back in the tent. It had been a ghost of a memory which soured his time with Ginny. The feel of Hermione in his arms had made the feel of Ginny's flesh on his feel wrong somehow. Luna had been right; he had always loved someone other than Ginny and he had deep down always known it.

Harry soaked in the feel of Hermione as he danced her around the room. So alike and so different from that time long ago. Here there was a cheery fire to chase away the nip of the deepening night. They were both fed and rested and there wasn't the threat of death hanging over them. Yet in a sense Harry felt the same sense of the world going away he had felt back then. Nothing matter except for the swaying witch in his arms.

Hermione had a look of confused contentment on her face. Harry knew she was just as caught up in the moment. Remembering that time when it had just been the two of them against the world. Just a man and a woman, bound by friendship, thrust into a terrible quest and yet being able to forget, just for a moment, of anything beyond the press of their bodies as they danced. Harry gloried in this feeling and was savoring it since he knew it wasn't going to last long. He knew at any moment Hermione's brain would engage and all her previous fears, worries and insecurities would surface and she'd tried to run away. Just like she did before.

In fact Harry remembered what had prompted her to run the first time around. Harry leaned down so that his forehead rested upon hers. Their lips were almost touching as he softly whispered, "Hermione." Harry tried not to tense; he hoped perhaps this time would be different and she'd allow him to kiss her instead.

Unfortunately lighting struck twice as she suddenly stiffened and her eyes, previously half-lidded, flew open and she tried to break away from him. "No, Harry! Let me go!"

Harry smiled to himself. Oh no, Hermione, not this time. There is no escape. "No. I'm not letting you go this time Hermione. I'm not going to let you get away."

Hermione continued to struggle, "I did your stupid test now let me go!"

Harry laughed, "Yes you did and you did exactly what I knew you would and it proves my point."

Hermione's eyes flashed, "Let me go you arse! And what bloody point is that?"

"That Luna was right and sometimes we don't know how to ask for what we want," Harry said and pushed Hermione against a bookshelf and began to kiss her deeply. Harry knew he was taking a risk. Regardless of what Luna had tried to teach him about what Hermione needed him to do, he couldn't help but worry how she might take this. There was such a thin line between this and the beginnings of assault. Luckily he found while Hermione continue to struggle, her mouth was in total cooperation with him.

Harry continued to kiss Hermione. Maybe Luna had done what she did because she had foreseen Hermione's actions. To test this, he ground his hard erection against Hermione's groin. Sure enough she gasped into his mouth and pushed him away with a cry of "Harry!"

It was time for stage two of his plan. "Harry? You little bint! Where do you get off call me by my Christian name? You forget yourself Jane Granger!"

Hermione blinked in shocked surprise. Before she could do even open her mouth to protest Harry grabbed his wand and had it out and pointed at her. "Furthermore what is with these clothes? Lady Lovegood assured me you were a proper maid and properly trained. I also expected you to be properly attired!" After an intricate wave of his wand, Hermione's clothing turned into a replica of a 17th century maid outfit while his became that of a rich lord's. Actually it was more of a simple switching spell he had preset earlier with clothes shrunk and stashed in his jacket.

"That is better! Now I expect to be address as 'my lord' and nothing else! Now…where were we? Ah yes! You were learning some of your extra duties!" Harry said in a tone he copied of his memories of Lucius Malfoy. Again he pushed Hermione against the wall and began to snog her roughly. It was a testament to her surprise that it was almost a full minute before Hermione began to struggle again.

"A feisty one, eh? I like a bird with some fire! But you, my dear, have a bit too much spice in you!" Harry said with forced lechery in his voice. He waved his wand again and suddenly Hermione found her arms bound above her head by a rope connected to a peg in the ceiling. This position forced her breasts up and out of the already revealing maid's outfit. Harry found the effect quite erotic. "Let's have a taste of these lovelies, shall we?"

With that Harry used his wand to cut the front of her dress open causing her breasts to fall out. Harry bent down and captured a nipple in his mouth. While not as large or hard as Luna's had been, they felt wonderful in his mouth. He flicked his tongue back and forth and caressed the other with his free hand.

"Harry, please! Please stop!" Hermione pleaded. Like Luna had, she sounded sincere even as she arched her back so as to get more of the delicious sensations.

Harry didn't let go of her nipple but merely glared up at here. With a twist of his wrist his wand seemed to morph into a riding crop and Harry smacked Hermione's flanks with it.

Hermione let out a cry; a cry which Harry couldn't tell was one of pain, pleasure or both. "Oh! Har…har…ma…my lord this is so wrong! What of the lady? What if she comes in?"

Harry grinned around Hermione's taunt nipple. Success! When thinking about what to do about winning Hermione, Harry had thought about the rough handling Luna seemed to think he needed to do to her. The problem was how to go about it. This made him think of what he knew about her and he realized he had noticed over the years some of the books Hermione read. While she had always looked down on the 'teen-witch' trash Lavender had read, Harry had seen a few books he recognized from his times in the library hiding out from Dudley. Harry had been better read than even Hermione had suspected. He had noticed she like some of the racier Anne Rice books especially those written as Rampling or Roquelaure. He hadn't thought too much about it other than being a bit surprised since most of the women he had seen check them out had been in their thirties.

Recently, however, it made him think Luna was trying to say she _wanted_ to be dominated. So while Hermione had been cleaning up after dinner, Harry had quickly checked out her bedroom and master bath bookshelves and sure enough there were plenty of such books neatly tuck away so not to be very noticeable. Stories like _Sleeping Beauty_ trilogy and the _Story of O_. A glance at her DVD collection found a lot more examples along the same vein. Harry was sure if he had the time he'd probably find some dom/sub porn as well! It was like they always said; it was always the quiet ones!

And it was his favorite quiet one he was going to enjoy taking after so many years! "Lady Potter is visiting her dear parents and won't be back for a fortnight. You shall be expected to tend to my needs till she returns!" Harry replied before going back and feasting on her delectable breasts.

Harry continued this for a few minutes while Hermione moaned and said such things like, 'No! I'm just a simple girl!' and 'My lord, Lady Lovegood said nothing of this!" She also continued to struggle half-heartedly. This struggle turned to writhing in pleasure as Harry's free hand moved away from her breast and under her skirt to find her sex hot and moist. He hadn't bothered with any petticoats for her costumes as they would just have gotten in the way. His probing fingers found another difference between her and Luna; Hermione's sex was a virtual oven of heat and she seemed a lot more sensitive.

Hermione moaned as Harry stood back up while hiking her skirt up so he could easily finger her. Harry began to nibble on her neck. Hermione gasped but finally squeaked out, "My lord…my virtue!"

"Your virtue was mine for 20 shillings! You best make it worth it!" Harry said before going back to kissing her. Rapidly their tongues began to duel as Hermione begun to buck her hips against Harry's thrusting fingers. Soon enough Hermione was moaning into his mouth and fighting for breath as her sex clamped down hard around his fingers and her whole body shook as she came.

Harry found he himself was panting and his erection was like a painful rod of steel in his tight period costume. He needed release and he needed it badly. Besides, Harry needed something to take the edge off or when he finally took Hermione he'd only last a few moments. Luckily his previous snooping in the bathroom had led him to find Hermione's 'infamous' list. While it wasn't used to list when she needed to masturbate anymore, Harry had known she'd always tracked her period with it as he'd seen her do while they were in the wilderness together. Harry knew he could take Hermione and cum in her to his heart's content since she'd just finished her period two days prior.

Before that blissful time, Harry wanted to experience something he had often dreamed about (and tossed off to) over the years. With a wave of his wand/crop, he released the ropes holding Hermione pliant to him. Hermione gasped a little as she realized how much her arms had grown numb but Harry caught the slight look of disappointment in her eye. His face fell into a predatory grin; she'd like the next part then!

"In fact I think now would be a wonderful time to start repaying me for my investment of you! Always remember where your family would be without my largesse!" Harry roughly took Hermione by the shoulders (causing another gasp of surprise/pain/pleasure) and forced her to her knees.

Hermione shuddered under his hands as she choked out, "My lord? What are you doing? What must I do?"

Harry gave a barking laugh which oddly sounded like Sirius', "You're a smart little girl, Jane Granger! I think you can figure out what I desire."

Hermione looked up at him and bit her lip and Harry almost lost it. She looked so lovely! Even so he forced his face into a lusty sneer as if to say 'get on with it!' to her. Hermione gave another little shudder but this time it almost seemed to be one expected of a woman having a small orgasm. She reached out and began to undo Harry's breaches.

Harry found it his time to shudder in pleasure when Hermione's hand finally found their way around his manhood and began to explore. Unlike Ginny, Hermione seem at first content to simply caress him and touch him like she'd never seen a man's cock before. Her hands massaged his scrotum and traced up and down his shaft. She even leaned him and loudly took a breath through her nose to drink in his smell. The intimacy of this sent a bolt of lust down his spine and straight to his cock.

"Ahh…yes…yes…that's much better Jane Granger! I knew you had potential. Lady Lovegood said you were not only pretty but quite the conversationalist. Why don't you show how you use that talented tongue of yours?" Again Harry tried to channel the oily tone of Lucius Malfoy. It was that or he'd break down and beg Hermione to quit teasing him and to please suck him dry.

Harry's role-playing seemed to be working as Hermione whimpered, "My Lord, please…I'm a good girl! Don't make me…"

Harry reached out and took Hermione by the hair forcefully, but carefully, "You little whore! I said show me you skills. I didn't ask! Now suck me and suck me well!" Harry hissed. He hoped he hadn't over-played his role. He groaned in relief (and pleasure) as Hermione bent down and began to lick up and down his shaft while slowly beginning to wank him firmly with a tight grip.

Harry was in heaven! While he knew Hermione really hadn't had much sexual experience beyond Ron it was obvious she had thrown herself into learning about it like she did everything else. As her velvet tongue caressed him as she finally took him deep into her mouth, Harry couldn't help but think of how much of an arse Ron had been to give this up! Of course Lavender had the reputation of being able to suck a golf ball through a hose. Yet knowing it was Hermione, Hermione of all people, sucking him so expertly was more thrilling then any image of her buxom ex-roommate.

Harry looked down and felt he had a new Patronus image as he watched as Hermione's bushy hair bobbed up and down over his cock. He had wanked off quite a few times over the years dreaming about this very image. Or bending her over the periodical rack in that back section of the Hogwarts library; that had always been good for a hard cum. In fact as Hermione tongued the crown of his penis roughly enough to make him cry out in pleasure, it occurred to him that even when he was with Ginny, when he'd break down and wank himself, he'd almost always fantasized about Hermione! In fact it was only after his tryst with Luna did he jerk off to anything other than what he had wished he could be doing with Hermione. Even then it was mostly of being with both woman at once.

Harry began to grunt and thrust into Hermione's mouth as these memories came back to him. He hardly ever wanked himself off due to his upbringing. So much so that Ollie had to have Katie teach him how to so Harry's Quidditch game wouldn't be off due to magical back-up. Later, it was the feeling he was somehow cheating on Ginny when he'd sneak a rub-out in the shower. The memories of those guilty pleasures and how they centered on the witch kneeling before him thrilled him.

Hermione seemed to sense his driving need as she redoubled her efforts. After a deep breath she sucked his entire length down into her throat. Harry gasped and almost came right there. While he wasn't large, both Daphne and Luna had commented he was bigger than most men they had had. Hermione didn't seem phased by his size as she began to hum in her throat which caused him to groan in helpless pleasure. She did this a few more times before going back happily bobbing over his cock.

Harry grabbed the back of her head and began to fuck back, "Yes you little whore! That's it! Suck me dry and you're family's land is safe! Yes! Yes! Ah Merlin!" Much faster than it had ever come upon him before, his orgasm came boiling up and he began to shoot hot spurts of his seed into Hermione's waiting mouth. Harry couldn't help but keep his hand in her hair as he fucked her mouth while he continued to unload his hot spunk against her tongue which hadn't ceased to tease and thrill him.

As he came Harry was startled to see how much being in control had excited him to such a state. He was Harry '_I've_ _got a saving people thing_' Potter and so this was surprising to him. As he used his hand in Hermione's hair to help her along, he could only wonder if growing up with the Dursleys had fueled a long dormant need to be the one meting out the punishments for a change.

Finally Harry's cock stopped spurting and he felt as if someone had turned up the gravity a bit as his body seemed to feel like lead. He released her hair and looked down to see her licking the remains of his cum off her lips. Her eyes were bright but Harry seemed to feel she had actually had wanted him to cum on her. Harry filed this away. He knew that shooting over women was big in porn (Seamus had had enough of it for him to know) but he hadn't expected Hermione to want it something like that. Being submissive was one thing but Harry guessed maybe she wanted a little more degradation than he had thought.

This thought prompted a tired grin. There was one form of degrading he was almost certain she was going to enjoy. He reached down and took Hermione's chin, "That was…adequate my pet but you still need to learn who is the lord here and who is the serving girl." Harry once again waved his wand and bound Hermione's hands. He pulled her off her knees and over to the couch against the wall. He sat down as he pulled Hermione across his lap. It was time to see how much Hermione was into the English Vice. It was a serious cliché but Hermione seemed to be enjoying clichés so far.

This feeling was confirmed when she began to squirm (which felt wonderful against his manhood) on his lap as he pushed her skirt off her bum. Harry took a moment to marvel at the white globes he was about to punish. Again while Hermione wasn't the beauty that someone like Daphne or even Susan was but she also had nothing to feel ashamed of when her clothes came off. In fact, Harry seemed to think it enhanced her beauty that it wasn't in your face all the time like it was with someone like Fleur.

Harry brought his hand down and smacked Hermione's bum with a goodly amount of force. Hermione cried out more in surprise than pain. "Quiet! You will take your punishment in silence since your mouth is what got you into this trouble in the first place! Calling me by my name…why the very idea one such as you could be so forward!" Harry said while smacking her bum a few more times.

Hermione writhed under this assault but managed to do little but squeak and let out the occasional moan as Harry continued to spank her. As he felt his own erection beginning to return so Harry didn't want to prolong this too much. "I expect obedience and I expect it quickly, Jane Granger! My time is very valuable and it isn't for the likes of you to waste! Is that understood?" Harry ended this with a much harder swat.

"Yes! Yes my lord! Please, my lord, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Hermione practically sobbed or so it sounded. Harry had taken his hand and started to finger her while switching which hand he spanked her with. A hiss of pure pleasure alerted Harry to how sensitive Hermione's backside was and so he began to use another finger to tease her anus. Soon he was finger-fucking both her holes while spanking her at random intervals.

"My word! I didn't realize what a little whore I was getting. I must congratulate Lady Lovegood. I'm always amazed at what she'd been able to bring me! Did she test you, you little tart? Did she experiment on you? She does seem to think women's passion is due to the infestation of nargles below." Harry asked in as much of a normal tone as he could considering what he was doing.

Hermione gave a lurch and bit the arm of the couch as she came onto Harry's hand. After another hard smack she cried out, "Yes! She had me strapped to a table and probed me everywhere! She felt my cunny was infested with nargles but she said even her own tongue could not drive them out! Even after she went down on me over and over! She said I was only worth being your toy! Oh please my lord, please! I'm swimming! I'm drowning!" Hermione panted as Harry sped up his ministrations. She was grinding against his fingers and practically growling.

Harry smiled since he was already feeling the need to finally make Hermione his once and for all. It wasn't arrogance that fueled this but something Lilith had said about his genes. Luna had commented about how she felt Harry denying his passion was denying his self. He had recently asked Lilith what she had meant and she had said if Harry was truly filled with passion and lust then his very magical aura would resonate with it. It would be hard for a witch not to respond to it.

Harry realized he had felt that with Luna and now he was feeling it even more so. Harry just knew that when he took Hermione she would not be able to deny him any longer just as he couldn't dream of letting her get away from him. As if reading his thoughts, Hermione came hard against his hand again.

Harry gave Hermione's red bum one last swat and cleaned his hands with a flick of his wand. "There! I think you understand your place now, yes?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes my lord! Yes!" Hermione said in a breathy voice. She was practically panting as she ground her hips against Harry straining erection.

"Good then I trust I will not have to school you again. Now, my little whore, I want you to go into the bedroom and put on something to delight me. I will give you ten minute. If you are not dressed or your choice displeases me…well I will be most put out." Harry smacked her bum again, 'Go!"

Harry smiled as Hermione took off like a shot out of the room. Almost at once Athena sauntered into the room and jumped up on the couch for some pets. She didn't seem the least bit concerned what Harry had been doing to her mistress's or the furniture was all moved about. She simply curled up and purred as Harry reached down and petted her.

"Well Athena it is good to see that you seem to accept all this!" Harry said as he slowly petted the kneazle. Like Hermione, Harry missed Crookshanks but he had taken a shine to the kneazle who wasn't afraid to demand what she wanted. Maybe it was because Athena could so easily get what she desired when she wanted it. A trait he and Hermione had struggle with for so many years.

Harry looked at the clock. "Five minutes!" he called out sternly. Harry could hear drawers being opened and closed quickly which implied Hermione couldn't find a specific thing she was looking for. He intended to give her more than just ten minutes but he figured the rush would help show her who was in charge. Harry had to admit it was a thrill. To be able to dominate Hermione like that. To know she trusted him not to abuse her trust in him. This excited him as it also humbled him.

At almost exactly nine minutes and 45 seconds he heard Hermione call out, "My lord, it is as you wished!" Harry reached down and gave Athena a nuzzling kiss between the ears. "Sorry Athena but duty calls!" As he made his way to the bedroom a causal flick of his wand returned the room to its original layout and banished his clothes as well.

"So let us see what we have…have…here…" Harry's voice trailed off into shocked silence.

Harry was stunned. He felt like he'd been hit with a bludger at the sight before him. Hermione stood with her arms behind her back as if they were bound. This pushed her breasts out nicely and her hair was down and it framed her face so beautifully. But it was what she was wearing that shook him.

She was wearing some sexy piece of lingerie that left little to the imagination and even acted as an open push-up type bra. Her nipples were hard and pointed. Her legs were clad in hose that came up to mid thigh. He could feel the magic holding them up. What caused his breath to catch in his throat was the color.

It was periwinkle blue with white accents just like her Yule Ball dress had been.

Harry just stood there with his mouth moving but no sound coming out. He was sure she was getting an eyeful of him considering this was the first time she'd seem him completely naked and now he was just standing there with his erection straining and bobbing as he drank in the sight of her.

Periwinkle! Just like the Yule Ball dress! The fact she had to search a bit to find it meant she'd had it for this outfit for some time and this wasn't something she'd just hastily transfigured. Harry could feel the no other magic on Hermione other than something she had done to her hair quickly and the spell keeping her hose up without a garter belt. She had had this for awhile!

Harry moved towards her like a man in a dream. Yes surely she might have bought it because it reminded her of the ball or simply because she liked the color. Yet the ball had ended so badly for her and it was because of Ron! She wouldn't have worn this for Ron; it would set off a row for certes! No, this was something which seemed primed to please him and only him. Harry remembered the look of satisfaction on her face at seeing the thunderstruck look on his own as she had come down the stairs in her periwinkle dress. She'd even mentioned to him from time to time over the years how that moment was something she treasured.

No! This was something she had gotten or had made special for him alone! He was sure of it. The blood was rushing in his ears and he felt like Hermione had to hear the beating of his heart it was so loud. He reached out and caressed Hermione's cheek as if to check she was real and not some fantasy borne out of his imagination and fantasies.

"Does my lord approve?" Hermione said in an oddly unsure and girlish voice. Could she not see he was gob-smacked? Could she not see how much her choice meant to him?

All the little dominance games he had planned to play went right out of Harry's head. He gathered Hermione up in his arms and began to kiss her like he had never kissed Ginny before. He kissed her with an intensity he did not think he had in him. His skin felt on fire and it was like his long dormant passions were about to set him on alight.

Hermione had melted into his arms and for who knows how long just kissed as their hand roamed free over each other's bodies. At Harry's teeth nipping along Hermione's neck brought a raking of her nails along his back.

Suddenly it felt like there just wasn't enough air in the room for Harry as he felt like he was gasping for breath. He was shocked to find Hermione underneath him on the bed. When had he thrown her there? He knew he had to since now been the time for half measures! Her sex was warm and wet against his cock. He looked down at the woman he had always loved looked back up at him with nothing but love and lust reflected in her chocolate brown eyes.

Hermione ran one hand along his sides while the other combed through his short hair. In a breathy voice she said, "Be gentle my love!"

Harry felt like a lifetime of passion and lust was welling up in him as he mounted her. With a cry of primal lust he dove into her. Finally claiming her at last.

**XxXxX**

**A/N**: Okay, mea culpa. Again I split a chapter up. I figured with this fic being 80% through the initial lemon scene with more to come meant this was going to end up another one of my 15,000 word monster chapters. Better to get part out to be enjoyed. Besides most of the last chapter will be tying up loose ends…and more lemony goodness. Come on, you think I was skip over something like that in a Harmony fic?

**Hermione the "slut" and No Means No**: Trust me, Harry and Hermione are going to discuss some things. I don't want this fic to seem like a bad, misogynistic porno where all the guy has to do is drop his pants to get laid.

**Boob Joke**: The comment Daphne made to Harry in regard to her breasts is something my ex-wife actually did to my brother. She once reached out and kept his head down (he had been looking at her chest again) and asked him what color her eyes were. Unlike Harry in this fic, he got the answer wrong. **=)**

**Potter Curse**: Hopefully by now you've figured out a lot of stuff reference in this fic has been presented in my other fics. The story of the Potter/Malfoy curse can be found in Chapter Five of _HP and the Rejected Path_ and probably around Chapter Eight of _HP and the Order of the Stag_ (when I get that chapter written) – For those not interested in reading my other fics (for shame!) pretty much King Harold III was a wizard and he got betrayed by Hadrian Cauchon during the Battle of Hastings. Before he died, Harold cursed Hadrian as a betrayer and since then the only name magical contracts would accept was Malfoy (bad faith) and Malfoys hair was cursed white. Later, Harold's only daughter would marry Henry Potter (a prominent leader and confidant to Harold) From then on the Potter's and Malfoy were pretty much enemies and couldn't even do business with each other. There is more to the story but that's the bare bones of it.


	6. Don't Worry Ginny

**Ginny's In India Now– NC-17/MA for Sexual Content & Adult Situations **

**DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: **_It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion._

**DISCLAIMER THE SECOND: **This is a AU take on JKR's writings It is not canonical but is more in line with my other published work. It is also a song-fic based on Dido's _Mary's In India_.

**CHAPTER SPECIFIC WARNING**: Life is about to give you lemons…you've been warned.

**CHAPTER SIX – DON'T WORRY GINNY**

_Don't worry Ginny, cuz I'm taking care of Harry_

_And he's taking care of me!_

**DEVONSHIRE MEWS, CAMBRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 6****th** **2010** – **MORNING**

Hermione woke to a feeling she hadn't had in years. Actually as she became more aware of her surroundings she realized she had almost never felt like this before. Ron's incessant snoring meant she tended to move as far away from him as the bed allowed. She certainly wouldn't be able to sleep with him snoring nuzzled into her hair as Harry was doing now. All that was missing to make it perfect was Harry's warm arm around her.

This turned out to be a boon as she was able to slip out of bed without waking him. She was still rather tired and looked forward to being back in Harry's embrace but she needed to hit the loo. Hermione took up her wand and with a quick series of movements she pulled something which looked like a pensieve memory blob (except it was gold instead of silver) out of her chest and lowered it into a goblet on the nightstand. Long ago she had invented a way to 'store' how she was feeling so she could take it back later. It wasn't something you wanted to do every day but for days like this it was perfect. Now she was alert and awake as her feelings on awakening were safely stored till she came back to bed.

Her face fell into a loving smile as she looked down upon the sleeping face of Harry Potter. She had often seen him this way and loved how he looked so peaceful when he slept. True most of the times she got a chance to see him sleep had been when he was in the hospital wing after some mishap. Yet she always was amazed at how when sleeping Harry's face relaxed and he almost seemed a different person.

Hermione put on her bathrobe to cover her nakedness as she made her way to the bathroom. Some time during the night her lingerie had disappeared. Hermione grinned evilly; it had done what it was supposed to do. She had had it made after a particularly bad day right after she and Ron had broken up. It had been such a bad day that she had found herself getting pissed at lunch in a local pub. She had set upon this mad plan to get Harry and make him hers. So she had wandered over to a store she knew which did custom work and ordered her Yule Bomb as she drunkenly called it.

Hermione padded softly into the kitchen after a stop in the loo. Of course Athena was waiting for her by food bowl. No matter how quiet she was, Athena always knew when she was up. Hermione put out some new cat food and started to make some coffee. Thinking about coffee made her remember how hung-over she had been the next day back then. Her plan to win Harry had been quickly buried as an emotional, drunken plan better left in the garbage bin. Since it had been paid for when she ordered it, she had simply put it in a drawer and tried to forget about it.

Over the next few years, when she would be going through her drawers, she would find it. Each time she thought about throwing it away even though it was a perfectly wonderful piece of work. It just represented something which made her terribly uncomfortable. No matter how hard her friends and many of the male Uni students she had class with tried to change her mind, Hermione had never felt very pretty. The periwinkle color always reminded her of one of the few times she had ever felt like a beautiful princess.

Of course that night had been a disaster. All except the look of wonder on Harry's face when she had come down the stairs as he saw her in her dress. That look had stayed with her ever since. It was crystal clear in her memories as if it had happened yesterday. It was a cherished memory more so because Ron had never looked at her like that. Oh he had been appreciative of her body often enough (often times quite crudely) but never once did he look like he had seen a vision.

Just like Harry had done again last night.

Hermione hugged herself happily since Harry wasn't there to do it for her. All her doubts, fears, her pride, her nagging voices in the back of her head had gone right out the window as soon as she had seen the thunderstruck look on his face when he saw her. The silly tag of 'Yule Bomb' had been more apt than she had thought. He had certainly been shell-shocked!

The night had been one of shocks. When Harry had started in on her she couldn't believe it! The Harry she knew just didn't seem capable of dealing with her so roughly. At first she had suddenly wondered if he wasn't Harry at all but Ron using Polyjuice. It was a silly thought and one swiftly forgotten as her body had responded to Harry as it would only to him.

Hermione's sex gave a tingle at the thought. She had been reading stories where there was a dominance/submissive theme since she had been around twelve. She had always hid it, laughed it away as a harmless affectation. Something to titillate her but not something she'd actually do. She was Hermione Granger after all! She took charge of things. It was her direction and plans which had allowed Harry to defeat Voldemort. She was a woman in control of herself and her life. The idea that a free-thinking witch such as herself would actually want to debase herself was just silly. She who had championed the rights of House-elves couldn't really want to be treated like one, right?

That silliness was shattered and deliciously so. The feeling of being bound and being helpless had driven her mad with desire. The terribly sexist way Harry had treated her, degraded her had turned her on to the point where she had actually had a small orgasm as Harry berated her like a common street whore. She had loved every second of being treated like dirt.

Hermione looked out the window and saw the students rushing to catch the early lectures. Harry had mentioned how Luna had taught him some lessons he wasn't ready to really learn and Hermione realized the same was true with her as well. Luna had said she was not living life but merely renting it. Just yesterday she was thinking how Luna must have meant she hadn't settled down. Now it was apparent what the real lesson she had supposed to learn was. She had these sexual needs which she had never wanted to acknowledge. She hid her books, her porn and often felt guilty when she had gotten off to stories of submission. She felt a liberated woman shouldn't feel like that or enjoy something which had been very real in an ugly sense for women throughout history.

Hermione shook her head and got up and poured the coffee into the carafe for later when Harry woke up. She looked at the clock and saw the Prophet owl would be there shortly. She took a muffin out of a tin and munched on it as she idly traced the patterns on the place-mat in front of her. Last night had opened her up to realize what Luna had meant about renting life. It wasn't that there wasn't any permanence in her life but more she refused to take ownership of her needs, desires and feelings. It was as simple as that.

She had run from her feelings from Harry. She had run from her own sexual desires and she had never admitted it was her pride which allowed other's perceptions and expectations to push her down a path she really didn't want. Last night she realized she had finally embraced her sexual desires. Her needs were real. Her reaction to the ugly words, the smacks on her bum, the hand in her hair as Harry thrust into her mouth…all of them were real. She couldn't deny them or ignore them. She got off on being dominated and she needed to accept it.

She also had to accept she was truly and madly in love with Harry. It hadn't matter that he had called her a whore, had slapped her around or treated her like a thing. All the while she had seen the love and lust in his eyes and could feel the restraint. Even when trying to play the bad-ass, Harry had a velvet hand in the iron glove. Hermione had felt it would have taken just a shake of her head and Harry would have released her head. She could see in his eyes that a word could have made him stop at any time…which reminder her how they needed a safe word!

Luna had been right. After she took ownership of who she was would mean she could finally start to live. Just because she like to have her bum smacked or dress up in silly maid outfits and be treated like a tart didn't invalidate her in any way. She was still Hermione Jane Granger and as Harry had said there was a whole world of people hoping she'd join their team. She also expected Luna was the reason Harry had been able to play the dominant lord so well. He had been careful and a bit hesitant at first but he had obviously had a plan. One which played her so well it was as if she had written the script herself. Hermione had a feeling that somehow Luna had seen or foretold how she might act and helped school Harry in how to reach her.

Hermione smiled warmly. The next time she saw Luna she was going to give her a hug that would put the bone-crushing ones Harry complained of to shame! Hermione's smile turned mischievous as she thought of being schooled by Lord Potter and Lady Lovegood!

A hoot drew her attention as the Prophet owl landed on the ledge. She paid for her paper and gave the owl its treat. She unrolled the paper and scanned it even though she really wasn't seeing it. One article about a project she and Su Li had done some research for caught her eye. It made her think of how Harry had asked her what she had planned to do with her life.

Hermione set the paper down and stared out the window. She was Harry's and he was hers. There was no use denying it. From almost the second he had entered her, she had known she could never turn away from him again. She knew Harry had a monster aura due to his powerful magical core which affected every witch around him. She knew his genes had components that made his scent act like pheromones which attracted witches. She knew he was rich and had a social status worthy of a prince. She knew all of that but her heart had been captured at the look of wonder he had on his faced as they made love. A look that she had caused to be there. A look which screamed how lucky he felt he was with her and no one else.

It didn't matter he had slept with Luna who Hermione was sure had been incandescently wonderful in bed. It didn't matter Harry had been with the beautiful and vivacious Daphne Greengrass. The look on his face, the gasping comments as the made love, the almost desperate hugs after he had spent into her all had told a story. A story of how his heart belonged to her, the bushy-haired, buck-toothed bookworm. Harry had chosen her over the likes of Fleur Delacour.

This led to the inescapable truth that she would soon be Lady Potter. She would live in Potter Manor and have access to all the power, wealth and influence that came with it. Not only that but she would mother the children Harry so desperately craved and she found she just as desperately wanted to give him. Hermione bit her lip and realized that the reason she had didn't seem to have a plan in her life was somehow on a very deep level she had been waiting for this all along.

For a brief second a flare of her old concerns about 'cheating her way to the top' instead of getting there on her own surfaced but she quickly squashed them. She loved Harry. His wealth and power just happened to be something that came with him. She wasn't going to marry him because of that so it didn't reflect on her. Besides as Harry had said, she had been instrumental in defeating Voldemort. No one she respected would accuse her of being a gold-digger. Well maybe no one except Rita Skeeter.

The more she thought of it, the more Hermione realized the doors being Lady Potter would open. She also realized she knew what she'd probably be doing for the next decade or two. She would take the lead in creating the first magical University as well as assist Harry in changing the current curriculum. This was something she had always thought about doing and now she could. She had the talent and the knowledge but as Lady Potter she would have the power to break into and through the old aristocracy and make a difference. Yes! She would be no mere window dressing on Harry's arm at Ministry balls like Ginny. Together they would be movers and shakers they and shake up Magical Britain!

As plots and plans began to well up in her (she _**had **_to talk to Susan!) an owl's hoot startled her. Hermione turned to see a post owl with international bands on its leg. This surprised her since international post usually came Wednesday afternoons which meant this was probably a priority letter. She took the letter casing and gave the appreciative owl a treat before it flew off.

She opened the casing to find a letter. A letter from Ginny.

Ignoring the cold feeling which gripped her heart at first, Hermione forced herself to read. It was just coincidence it had arrived today she told herself. She found herself frowning as she read the letter. This frown rapidly turned to annoyance and then to the beginnings of anger. By the time she got to the end of the letter Hermione almost felt like casting an _Incendio _spell on it. She didn't since she wanted to show it to Harry.

The nerve of Ginny! The entire letter had been one self-serving statement after the other! It seemed it had taken awhile but Ginny had learned about how she and Harry had spent most of the night at Bones' ball together. Ginny hadn't written to her as an old friend trying to explain why she had done what she had done. No. Ginny had written because she seemed worried about how her break-up with Harry might make her look bad. How it would cast her in a bad light to have the famous Hermione Granger consoling Harry. She hadn't asked Hermione to forgive her for leaving Harry or even telling of agonizing about it before leaving. Instead she had whined about how she wasn't getting her needs met from Harry and how she didn't want Hermione to think badly about her. Hadn't Hermione gone off on her own journey to find herself?

Hermione snorted at the last big. Her own journey had been a waste of time and at least she had done it while she was single! She hadn't snuck away from a long-time relationship like a thief in the night! Hermione had always thought Ginny to be tough; a real Gryffindor who had stood up to her brothers and never backed down. Now it was obvious when Ginny didn't get what she wanted she'd rather just leave rather than stay and bravely try to fix things or have the courage to end it. It she wasn't that different from her brothers after all. All the letter had been about was her, her, her!

What a self-serving lot the Weasley children had turned out to be! Bill had left Fleur because she hadn't wanted to be a substitute for Bill's mother. Harry had mentioned over dinner about how he felt Penelope was going to walk out on Percy since it appeared he was more interested in 'dictation' with his secretary then going home to her and their daughter. Angelina and Alicia had long since broken up with the Twins who seemed far more interested in their business then them. For years the two had either ignored women or would go through about two or three girlfriends in a month.

Hermione shook her head. Ron probably was in the arms of some vapid Quidditch groupie right now. The only Weasley who hadn't trashed a relationship was Charlie and that was probably because he was in Romania and the news wouldn't reach England if he had. Funny how Arthur was such a saint having to put up with Molly Weasley and her temper and was the epitome of a good role model and yet all his sons turned out to be disasters when it came to witches! It seemed this applied to the daughter as well.

"_**Mwor**_**!**"

Hermione looked down to see Athena staring up at her as if to say, "Why are you wasting your time thinking of those prats?" She chuckled to herself. It was a very good question since she had a delicious raven-haired, emerald-eyed dream waiting for her in bed at that very moment. She reached down and petted Athena. "Thanks Athena; you always put things into perspective!" Her cat purred at the praise which was obviously just her due.

Hermione quietly returned to her bedroom. The bed looked a bit worse for wear! They had made love for what seemed like hours the night before. She was reminded about how she needed to talk to Lilith because she had been amazed how Harry had cum copiously six times that night and she didn't think that would be possible unless Harry had a lot more than then the trace of succubae genes they had thought was in him. Obviously her husband-to-be had more secrets yet to find! This suited Hermione just fine.

She stretched a bit and found herself quite sore from their lovemaking. That wouldn't do! She cast a muscle-relaxant spell on herself and one on Harry for good measure. A whiff of her breath and the general left-over smell of sex made her cast a quite a few spells to clean them up as well as the room. Feeling cleaner and more relaxed, Hermione dipped her wand into the goblet and took back the golden blob and dropped it between her breasts. As it merged with her skin, Hermione once again felt sleepy and warm. She carefully got back into bed. Harry stirred a bit and she was worried she had woken him up. However he merely murmured in his sleep before spooning up against her. Better yet his arm came around her and hugged her against his chest.

Hermione let out a soft contented sigh at the feeling of the arms of the man she loved around her. The man she had always truly loved. Smiling happily she drifted back to sleep.

**OoOoO**

A warm pressure against her bum brought Hermione back out of sleep. It took a moment for her to figure out what it was. The fact Harry was still spooned up against her helped. Hermione smiled to herself as she slightly wiggled her bum against Harry's hard morning erection. While Ron had a decent size penis, Harry's was noticeably thicker; a fact he had used well the night before. Thankfully Harry wasn't overly endowed. Too big and there were so many things that she wouldn't want to try! With his morning woody wedged between her checks, Hermione had to wonder about a certain dirty act she'd never had to guts to try.

"You, Ms. Granger, are much nicer to wake up to than either Dobby or Winky telling me I'm going to late for some ruddy meeting," Harry said softly into her ear.

"Well Mr. Potter, you are much nicer than having Athena meow at me till I get up and feed her that's for sure," Hermione replied.

Harry began to grind his erection against her wiggling bum, "Hmm...well Athena isn't the only one who is hungry right now." Hermione practically purred as Harry began kissing her neck.

The nuzzling and grinding continued for a few minutes before Harry took Hermione's leg and lifted a bit so he could move his cock against Hermione's moist sex. He then lowered her leg back so her thighs were wrapped around his member. This felt delicious and maddening at the same time as his cock would brush against her rapidly engorging clit. "Oh Harry! Where did you learn this?" Hermione asked.

Harry chuckled, "It is _Pureblood Foreplay 101_. It's what girls like Ginny get taught so they can keep their wizards happy till they marry and can have sex. Obviously this tradition didn't take completely with Ginny but until she graduated this was the closest to intercourse I got."

Hermione couldn't help but snort even as she alternated squeezing her thighs together in rhythm to Harry's thrusts, "That didn't stop Ron. He was after my virginity almost the day after you defeated Voldemort."

"He probably figured that would keep you his and away from me. However I'd rather not think of either gingers right now. I have a far more pleasant person to focus on," Harry said gently.

Hermione reached back and ran her hands through Harry's hair, "A splendid idea, Lord Potter."

"Lord Potter, huh?" Harry asked slyly. "Feeling the need for a little play, 'Jane' or am I missing something.

"Hmmm, well I was thinking earlier how I need to own up to my needs and desires. What other people might think shouldn't matter. Besides you were an utter beast last night...and I loved it." Hermione said softly.

"Utter beast? I'll show you utter beast!" Harry said happily. He reached over and took up his wand, "_**άνθρωπος**____**Πέμπτη**____**σεξ**__**!**_" Hermione couldn't help but squeal as her bum tingled.

"What did you just do?" Hermione asked.

"Let's just say Katie wasn't the only chaser I learned a few tricks from. The spell cleans and sets up the stage if you will." Harry grabbed Hermione's hips and hoisted her up so she was on all fours."

Hermione gasped as she felt Harry place the head of his penis against her 'the out door' as Lavender had been wont to call it. She held her breath as Harry began slow and careful thrusts to push his manhood into her. It was obvious the spell Harry had used had a lubricant component as he slipped in easily. Hermione bit her lip and tried to relax. Harry cautiously worked his way deeper and deeper into her bum. Soon he was at least half-way in and thrusting with a bit of speed.

Hermione found herself enjoying the feeling. Sally had tried it and didn't like it but Lilith had found it quite pleasurable. She had told Hermione how she felt for many women it was more of a mental thing. Right now Hermione was getting off on both the mental and physical stimulus. It was such an odd (but nice) feeling being filled up like she was.

"Do you have a B.O.B. Hermione?" Harry asked.

"A Bob?" Did Harry mean a bobby-pin?

"You know, a Battery Operated Boyfriend." Harry clarified.

Hermione let out a startled laugh, "Goodness Harry! Where did you pick up that term?"

Hermione could almost feel Harry's crooked grin behind her. "Hey I told you Tracey and Daphne talked about a lot of things regardless of me being there or not. Tracey seems to think there is a good market for magical sex toys. Actually if you just have a regular dildo that would be best as I don't want to mess up any electronic toys."

"Harry!" Hermione was shocked she was having this conversation. Never mind she was bent down on her bed, her bum up in the air while her lover buggered her.

"What? The _Man-Who-Conquered_ can't say dildo? Come on Hermione, you forget I played Quidditch so I know all sorts of things. Angelina knew some kinky tricks let me tell you! It's a good thing both she and Alicia mostly stuck with the Twins because I don't think shy old Harry Potter could have taken more of their open sexuality. Even Katie got embarrassed by them at times."

Hermione leaned over and opened the drawer on her nightstand and fumbled till she found her latex dildo.

"Ah, life-like and functional I see. Just what I would expect from you. Could you hold it up?" Harry asked.

Hermione did as she was asked and Harry took up his wand again (while still continuing to softly thrust into her as he did) and taped the dildo twice, "_Mimus Motus_!"

"Now what?" Hermione asked.

Harry laughed, "What do you think Hermione? I think you know where that goes."

Hermione blushed and felt a bit foolish. This feeling didn't last as the moment she pushed the dildo into her it began to move on its own. She gasped out a moan of pleasure. Hermione realized it was moving in time with Harry's own thrusts.

"Wow! Now that is a useful spell!" Hermione said. She couldn't help but push back against Harry. She wanted him to speed up.

"I thought you'd like it. Katie had Angelina teach it to me. I guess when you ride a broom as often as they do; taking it up the bum isn't that hard."

"Oh really? Speaking from experience?" Hermione giggled.

Harry slapped Hermione's arse, "Little minx!"

"Oh Harry! Don't tease me!" Hermione was still giggling but she felt a thrill of being spanked by Harry again. She began to push back a lot more in hopes of egging Harry on. He'd been careful but now she wanted to be shagged and shagged hard.

Harry seemed to sense this as he sped up his thrusts. Soon he was bottomed out with their bodies slapping together filling the room with the sound of sex. Hermione was quickly moaning and crying out at the overload of sensation. She felt completely filled as Harry and her dildo thrust deeper and deeper into her. She reached out and took hold of her headboard to steady herself. "Yes! Harder! Oh Harry! More! Give me more! I can take it!" she screamed.

Harry slapped her ass again while reaching out to grab her hair, "You like it, don't you? You like it up the arse! You like being a dirty arse girl! Don't you! DON'T YOU?" Harry slapped her bum again with a violent sounding smack.

Hermione came hard as she squealed to the mix of pain and pleasure, "Yes! Yes! I'm your dirty arse girl! Spank me! Fuck me! Fuck my arse! Yes, fuck, harder, fuck FUCK!" Hermione found herself marveling at the obscenities coming out of her mouth.

"Dirty arse girl has a dirty, dirty mouth!" Harry practically shouted. He grabbed his wand and with a flick Hermione felt pain in her nipples. She looked down to see Harry had charmed weighted nipple clamps on to her. The movement of her body caused the weights to sway and this sent jolts of pleasurable pain through her sensitive nipples.

This wave of new sensation made her practically scream in ecstasy and she rapidly came again. Between her orgasm causing her to clench her inner muscles around Harry's cock and the spectacle of the staid bookworm writhing and cursing like a whore caused Harry to rapidly lose his own battle in holding back. Grunting loudly he gripped Hermione's hips and thrust deep into her with hard, powerful strokes. Far too soon Harry felt his cum boiling up out his tingling balls. Harry cried out as shot his load deep into Hermione's arse. His semen further slicked up her passage which actually increased the pleasurable feeling. Harry was able to keep thrusting for almost a minute before it became too much for him and he all but collapsed onto Hermione's back.

The pair lay there panting as the sweat on their bodies glistened in the morning sunlight coming through the window.

Finally Hermione stirred, "Harry, uh! You're getting a bit heavy!" She was amazed how Harry was still semi-hard in her bum. His sexual stamina was amazing! Ron's cock would shrivel up to practically nothing after he came and it took a bit to get him randy again if she could keep him from falling asleep right away.

"Sorry Hermione...wow...that was...was...just wow." Harry shook his head and carefully pulled out of her. A wave of his wand negated the spell on the dildo and a few more spells cleaned everything up. "Speaking of wow, Hermione, please tell me you have some decent silencing spells on this room."

Hermione giggled, "No worries Harry. My neighbor is a bit nosey so I've got quite a few wards up. If I didn't she'd have been breaking in with a shotgun a few minutes ago considering all the noise we were making."

Harry rubbed her back and bum a bit, "Yes. You are a lot more vocal than I ever could imagine and I used to imagine a lot about you."

Hermione rolled over and raised an eyebrow at Harry, "Wanking off to dirty thoughts about your best friend? Honestly Harry what sort of girl did you think I was?" she teased.

Harry grimaced, "I obviously thought you were not even remotely kinky enough to want to indulge my rather tame fantasies." Harry's eyes grew distant and he looked troubled.

Hermione reached out and placed her hand on his cheek, "What's wrong love?"

At the endearment, Harry smiled, "Hermione, you do know I respect you right? I enjoyed smacking you around and all that but there will more than just kinky sex. I want the romantic times as well. You're just not a kinky shag to me."

Hermione smiled warmly, "Oh Harry! I know that! Thank you, though, for saying it. I don't want to get into the bad habit of comparing you to Ron but the fact you worried about it means a lot to me. Ron was rather clueless on emotional issues like that."

"Hermione, emotional range of a teaspoon remember?" Harry grinned.

Hermione laughed, "Yes I do. Don't worry Harry; I'm sure you and I will have plenty of time to make love in front of a romantic fire and all that. I don't expect the kinky stuff all the time. Of course I hope you realize I've never gotten to explore this part of me and I'm rather curious to do a bit more research."

"Research, huh?" Harry smirked.

"It's all for science!" Hermione said and then couldn't keep up the straight face and started to giggle. "Besides I'm fully expecting more flowers and romance before I become Lady Potter."

Harry stiffened at these words. His green eyes locked with her brown ones. "Hermione?"

Hermione grabbed Harry and rolled him on top of her. Looking up into those eyes she loved so much made her smile, "Harry, you were right. We've loved each other since forever. I think I started in a silly, hero-worship sort of way after you rescued me from the troll. By the Yule Ball I knew but I let my own fears and pride keep me from you. I'm not going to do that any more."

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Hermione shut his mouth with a finger, "Shush Harry! There is nothing for you to say. I was up earlier and I was thinking about things. You and Luna were right; I had been running from you and myself. I thought about being Lady Potter and raising our children and I realized why I didn't have a job plan is because deep down I knew I was going to be yours. I want to be yours and together you and are going to have a family and we're going to take the magical world by storm."

Hermione bit her lip and was surprised how Harry's penis started to harden a bit as she did so. "I'm through wasting time and so unless you have any problems, I'd rather just get on with the business of getting our lives together planned out." She couldn't help but smile mischievously, "Lists to make you know!"

Harry nodded, "Nothing would please me more, Lady Potter" They kissed and continued to kiss for awhile. During this Harry's erection had returned and Hermione found herself getting wet again as well.

As they broke the kiss Hermione suddenly giggled.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"Well if I become Lady Potter, doesn't that mean I'm the boring wife of Lord Potter? She obviously isn't satisfying him if he's using poor innocent Jane Granger!" Hermione said.

Harry laughed. "Well now...I'm sure Lady Potter has her own secrets. While Lord Harold Potter is immersed in his boring business concerns, who knows what Lady Potter gets up too? Perhaps while her husband is talking business at a ball, she's being seduced by the roguishly handsome Lord James Black! One of those Lords women get warned to stay away from but never seem too able to."

"The 'roguishly handsome James Black' huh?" Hermione asked with a smirk.

Harry grinned, "To say nothing of her getting caught up in the dangerous web of lies and deceit of the mysterious Henry Peverell." Harry looked at her with an appraising eye, "Who knows what depraved acts he and his accomplice, Daphne Greengrass of the secret Coven of Serpents might get into?"

Hermione's sex spasmed at the thought of role-playing the three of them could all do together. Although she was amazed Harry was offering her this! It seemed Harry really did know her better than she did herself. In a husky voice, "What about the Lady Lovegood?"

Harry started to grind his cock against her, "Well Lord Potter did find Jane Granger to be a bit feisty. He might call Lady Lovegood in to help tame her. Besides he might need another girl to clean his office. Nothing better than a randy romp with a fetching lass bent over musty tomes of case law!"

Hermione closed her eyes and felt her nipples hardening at the thought. Oh they were going to have so much fun together. "Thank you Harry...you make me so happy."

Harry shook his head; his face filled with love. "No, thank _**you**_, Hermione. My obligations to my Houses could be a big burden to you regardless of any customs of the lead wife there are. It's asking a lot to ask you to share me with others. I'm happy and honored you're even open to the idea of it."

Hermione smiled, "It helps you have interesting friends...and such beauties as well. Who knows? Maybe Daphne might sneak Tracey over one night. Plus Susan has let slip that she and Anthony have thought about throwing some more...intimate parties with just a few selected friends."

Hermione reached down and maneuvered Harry's cock into her. She began to slowly grind against him, "I know you love me and I know you'd never do anything to hurt me or any witch who comes into our bed. You're too good a man for that Harry Potter and I love you so much for it."

Harry began to thrust back against her, "I would be honored to have you as my Lady Potter, Hermione Jane Granger."

"And I for you to be my Lord, Harry James Potter." Hermione said in a voiced cracking with emotion. The shared a long, passionate kiss and then gazed silently into each other's eyes while savoring the moment.

Hermione arched her back to push her nipples closer to Harry's face, "How about we celebrate our engagement with some of that romantic sex you talked about earlier?"

Harry kissed her again, "As Lady Potter wishes!" He captured one of her nipples in his mouth as he began to thrust slowly into her at a nice, steady rhythm designed to prolong both their pleasure. Hermione ran her hands over his body as his tongue invoked wave after titillating wave of pleasure out of her. Soon they were simply kissing passionately as they both began to give into their passions and bucked against each other.

Harry was nibbling on her neck. She knew his teeth were leaving marks and this thrilled her. She turned her head to allow more of this delicious abuse. Her half-lidded eyes caught sight of Ginny's letter on her dresser.

She thought of how Ginny had been worried how it would reflect back on her if Harry continued to fall to pieces like he had been prior to Susan's party. Once again her worry had been about herself and not Harry.

Hermione felt an animal growl well up in her as her sex spasmed around Harry's thrusting cock. She knew this would be just one of the orgasms she'd have before Harry would fill her with his hot seed. His skin felt hot and sensual under her hands. His breath against her neck as he mouthed her name excited her.

No Ginny. You don't need to worry about Harry Potter any longer. I'll take good care of him.

Harry pushed himself up on his hands and looked down at her with such an intense look of lust it took her breath away as he began to really fuck her hard. She found her hands on his arse, pulling him into her, trying to force more pleasure out of his wonderful organ. Looking into his eyes, seeing his face awash in love and lust for her made her cry out as another orgasm welled up through her causing her to thrash underneath her lover.

As Harry began to grunt, obviously feeling his own approaching orgasm, Hermione felt herself once again feeling like she was drowning in desire and sensual feelings. Hermione bucked her hips and heard Harry's cry out her name as he redouble his own efforts. As she began to cry out his name over and over she knew she was going to never let him go. She'd take such good care of him and their children! Ginny had nothing to worry about.

Don't worry about me either Ginny; Harry's taking care of me!

_**Finite Narratio!**_

**A/N**: Hurray! I finally finished a fic! It only took about 4 more chapters than I figured! I'd like to acknowledge/apologize for some similarities in this fic to others I've read. I realized there are elements in this fic which are similar to _**HP and the Chance Meeting **_by _Clell65619___as well as some of the many fics by _DrT_, _Radaslab_ and _JBern_. It's hard not to have some stuff you read percolate into your own writings.

**HP and the Dido Chronicles**: As mentioned previously, I do want to expand this fic which would start when Harry is 'killed' by Voldemort in the forest. I also have ideas for things which would happen after this story which would tie up the dangling Luna/Daphne issues. I just have to find some songs which are appropriate. Right now the story is looking to go like this:

My Lovers Gone: Hermione can feel it when Harry is 'killed' by Voldemort.

Hunter: Hermione finds Ron cheating on her w/Lavender.

See You When You're 40: The Harry/Hermione fight in 2007 from Hermione's POV.

Never Want to Say It's Love: Luna schools Harry after the above fight (expanded from Ch 3 of this fic to show a bit from Luna's POV)

Do You Have a Little Time?: Harry visits Hermione and admonishes her for throwing herself into her studies to the point where she hardly even emails him.

Life For Rent: Luna visits Hermione before leaving for America and teaches her a little about life.

White Flag: Ron is in a pub convincing himself he's always loved Hermione after he finds out Lavender is cuckolding him with Seamus.

All That You Want/Don't Think of Me: Set right after the above chapter. Ron uses his key and thinks he can win Hermione back. He's finds he's horribly wrong.

Ginny's In India Now: Would be this fic condensed into one long chapter (and Chapter 3 taken out) with changes since HP and HG had previously been lovers before.

Don't Leave Home: (Possible) Daphne sneaks in a tryst with Tracey and then pleads with her not to leave her.

Sadly I need to focus on finishing _HP and the Rejected Path_ as well as working through _Paging Dr. Bell_. I do think, however, I'll noodle on this slowly. The first chapter would actually be really short.

**International Post**: It comes on Wednesdays. If you've read **Radaslab**'s _Breakfast In NYC_ you'd know all about it!

**When Harry Met Hermione**: One of my all time favorite chick flicks is _When Harry Met Sally_. I've always felt Meg Ryan in that movie (with her hair changed to brown) is a good model for how Hermione could look as an adult. The movie also shows the dance you could see Harry and Hermione doing as they tried to be friends with the sexual tension being the elephant in the room. While this fic is a **Dido** song-fic, it is also sort of my homage to the film. Although I doubt Hermione would do the "that scene" with Harry. To Ron, yes, but not Harry. =)

**Spells**: Normally I explain what they mean but some spells are too funny to just write out the joke. Besides, I'd have to explain it and that would just ruin it. It's not an exact translation anyway. Of course _**Mimus Motus **_is simply _mimic movement_.


End file.
